Naruto Strife
by oni spiritus
Summary: When Naruto is buried alive a trip through the lifestream changes everything.
1. Chapter 1

The sun had set an hour ago as a young boy crept into a window of a library. Despite the fact the boy was wearing a "kill me" orange jumpsuit his stealth skills were sufficient for him to get this far unnoticed. Silent as death and quick as thought the boy scanned through the shelves looking for the scrolls he had come for. Using only the natural light from the moon and stars so as not to gain attention slowed him down so that his task took nearly an hour. When he had found the scrolls he needed he sealed each one into storage seals tattooed onto his forearms before slipping back out the window. Sadly the boy would not be getting away with his nocturnal hobby as the Fates had something else in mind for the boy. As he started to lower himself from the window a loose brick fell alerting two chunin to his presence. Knowing his survival depended on his escape he ran towards the village's outer wall in hopes he could lose his pursuers in the forest. Ducking through alleys and staying to the shadows he did not see that he was being followed from the rooftops. Sparing furtive glances over his shoulder he rounded a corner in fear only to get knocked down after bumping into something. That something turned out to be a high ranking ninja of Junín skill with several of his intoxicated friends.

"Watch where you're going kid!" The man said before narrowing his eyes getting a better look at who was on the ground. Upon recognizing who it was the Junín's friends circled around the boy as the two chunin that gave chase joined them. Hate and anger burned in the group's eyes as they closed in on their prey.

"Demon! It is long past your time." The man growled to a chorus of hate filled epitaphs as some fingered weapons of murder, and others making some from broken bottles or other things laying at hand. "Since you have so nicely decided to submit to your fate the only question is how to accomplish it." Dark laughter followed this statement as thoughts of pain, blood, death, and worse entered the minds of the small crowd. Looking to a man behind the boy he gives an almost imperceptible signal with his hand. Suddenly immense pain followed by growing darkness exploded through the boys head as a bottle was smashed onto his skull.

Later that night with the moon past its zenith the boy slowly regained consciousness groaning in pain as he now felt the severe beating he had received after being knocked out. Looking around he saw himself in a freshly dug hole, and went to raise his arm to climb out. Shouting in pain at the movement he realized his arms had been broken. Tears began to flow as shadows moved above the hole at the sound of his injured shout.

"Finally awake I see. Don't worry the pain won't last long, demon. After all you will be able to never have to feel pain again." Laughing he signaled another of the shadows as dirt began to rain down on the boy. "Enjoy your grave." The man said with a smirk as he began making hand seals for an earth jutsu to entomb the helpless boy. As the wave of earth rose up to forever enshroud the boy in darkness a burst of energy the color of fresh blood surrounded the boy keeping the earth from his body. The energy grew denser seemingly solidifying as the sky was closed off from sight. Passing out from terror and stress neither the boy nor his attackers noticed a wavering in reality as the energy pulsed at ever increasing speed until the pulses suddenly stopped. The now seemingly diamond solid energy held steady for several heartbeats before shrinking to nothing in an instant leaving a five foot oval void in the ground.

Slowly the boy's consciousness began to awaken as he found himself floating in a warm green light. His injuries still present even though he could feel no pain. 'Am I dead?' he thought somewhat relieved at the thought for it meant an end to the fear, pain, hate, and torture he had experienced throughout his life. A strange comforting feeling began to flow over him the likes of which he had never felt before. If he had he would have found it strongly similar to what a young child feels when embraced by a loving mother. For the first time in his life he felt content, and let this feeling envelope him as a soft smile grew upon his face as he once again slipped into unconsciousness.

_**8 MONTHS LATER**_

The boy slowly opened his eyes feeling as if he was floating on water blinking at the bright light glaring above him. Blinking several times he began to notice some of his surroundings the first of which was the source of the light. Through what seemed to be the ruins of a roof he could see the sun high overhead, and the tops of stone columns. As his eyes roamed his surroundings it appeared as if he was in what remained of a church. Moving his arm to block the sun he quickly found himself sinking in the water. Splashing around caused his still as of yet unhealed wounds to protest causing him to cry out and begin to sink once more.

Quicker then he could register in his desperate fight for air strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him up onto solid ground. As he felt the floor beneath him what had happened finally registered, and he began coughing as his lungs expelled the liquid onto the floor. A gentle hand patted his back as precious air once more flowed into his aching body. "Slow deep breaths. Relax you're safe now." Spoke a voice that was undoubtedly female yet carrying enormous strength said softly. Forcing his breathing back to normal he looked up at the people standing around him he scrambled back clutching the woman that had spoken for protection.

Standing around him were three men and one woman. To his left was a very large man with dark skin, and heavily muscled body easily 6'6. He had standard heavy duty boots, blue jeans, and a sleeveless shirt. The man's left arm ended in a metal cylinder with several small pipes extending out.

Next to him was a 6'0 tall, lean young man with long black hair and a ragged red cloak and mantle over black clothes. He wears a metallic, golden gauntlet on his left forearm. His cloak covers the lower half of his face and is held closed by a series of buckles. His eyes were a pale red color.

The next in line was a woman measuring 5'2 with short black hair, a dark green sleeveless top that bared her midriff, tan short shorts, and knee high boots. Her skin was pale, and she looked at the boy with a soft smile conveying that she meant him no harm.

The fourth one standing before him was a man standing 5'7. His attire consisted of black boots, and pants. His torso was covered by a black shirt that was missing the right sleeve, and had armor over his left shoulder. His hair was strikingly similar to the boys not only in color, but spikiness as well.

Turning to get a better look at the woman he had a death grip on he took in her appearance as well. The woman was 5'5 with brown hair that fell to the middle of her back. She had on black and white sneakers, black shorts, and sleeveless vest that zipped up. Cautiously he released his grip on her, and sat back looking from one to another each showing that they weren't going to hurt him as they waited in silence for him to speak.

"Wh…Who are you, and where am I?" The boy asked nervously.

The large man smiled and gestured at the woman sitting next to the boy. "Why don't you handle this since he seems to like you more than us right now, Tifa?"

Smiling at the boy she started the introductions. "My name is Tifa Lockheart. The large bear with the gun arm is Barret Wallace. Next to him with the cape is Vincent Valentine. The girl is Yuffie Kisaragi, and the last in line is Cloud Strife. As to where you are, you are in Midgard. Now that you know who we are why don't you tell us your name?"

"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." Looking at them with an embarrassed expression on his face he grinned sheepishly. "Ummm….I don't suppose either of you know where I can get a change of clothes and something to eat?"

_**2 years 8 months later**_

_Konoha – Hi no Kuni – 8am _

In a hot spring reserved for konoichi 4 women could be seen relaxing after early morning exorcise. The youngest one was a slim light brown haired girl who had her hair done up into buns, one on each side of her head. Next was an older, more feral looking girl in her late teens with tattoos on her face and dark brown hair. Sitting next to her was an even more feral woman what looked like she could be the 2nd girl's mother or aunt. These three were glaring at a voluptuous woman in her mid 20's with light black hair that seemed to shimmer with purple and blue hues in the sunlight. The reason for the glares was that the dark haired beauty had just entered the hot spring via a cannonball. Shrugging off the glares with a grin the woman sat back sighing as the warmth soaked into her body.

"Hey, Ms. Frosty Panties, you better hurry up. Maybe if you soak enough of the heat up you'll find a guy that can thaw you out!" yelled to a well build red eyed woman still in the changing room. With a smirk she looked at the blushing teens, and chuckling older woman.

Suddenly the water in the center of the hot spring erupted like a geyser causing the women to jump out of the water prepared for either a fight or the weekly severe beating of a pervert ignoring the fact they were all naked and wet. Astonishment crossed all of their faces as a column of green chakra could be seen as the last of the airborne water falls back down. The two feral looking ones in a taijutsu stance, the dark haired one with 4 senbon in each hand at the ready, and the slim teen with a katana and a fuma shuriken in each hand. As the seconds tick by the girls could make out a shadowy silhouette hovering several inches above the water in the fading chakra column. The two older women's eyes widen in shock as the silhouette is revealed to be a young man about 5'5 that was wearing a cloak that looked just like the 4th Hokage's except it was black with crimson flames instead of white with yellow flames. Sensing the presence of the women he begins turning in their direction. Catching something in his peripheral vision he continues turning his head without stopping to admire the naked and dripping wet women to focus on what had caught his attention. A sad smile graces his lips as he speaks in a tone filled with sadness just barely audible to the women. "I'm home." Speaking those words was like cutting the string of a marionette as for as soon as they had been uttered his eyes closed, and he fell face first into the water.

After a few seconds the konoichi jumped into action dragging the unknown person out of the water. This task took the four of them because of the death grip he had on the large broad bladed sword in his hand. As the older teen girl checked the unconscious boy's vital signs the others got dressed while her mother unashamed of her nudity stood guard until they came back so she could dress as well. It was several minutes before the girl was done scanning him, and changed as they others bandaged some of his more serious wounds. As that task was done the oldest of the women looked up and said "Where the hell do you keep those senbon at?" The younger girl with the facial tattoos broke in "To hell with the senbon I want to know where the fuck she pulled that fuma shuriken from!"

Before either woman could answer a woman in ANBU garb with a cat mask appeared between them. "Storage seals placed at the base of the fingers. More importantly though….What happened here?"

_**At a hot spring in Iwagakure**_

A silver haired man was writing in a journal emitting a perverted giggle suddenly turned with a serious expression looking to the southeast. 'What the hell. Was that a burst of nature chakra just now?' he thought to himself continuing to scan in the direction the feeling came from. After a few minutes of nothing else happening he turned back to peeping at the hot spring.

_**Mount Myoboku**_

An elderly male toad about a foot tall is backing away from his wife with his hands held protectively in front of him sweating as he tried in vain to calm the elderly female down. "Come on, Ma. I said I was sorry, and that I'd fix it right after breakfast. There is no reason to get violent." The female toad continued her advance brandishing every wife's favorite weapon, a cast iron skillet. "You were told to stay out of the kitchen, Pa. Now face your punishment like a man." She said before swinging the skillet with Herculean force at her husband's head. Her swing stopped mere millimeters from Pa's head as they both turned to look in the same direction feeling a concentrated amount of nature chakra denser then they had ever felt in their _very_ long lives. They turn to look at each other worry plain in their eyes. "We have to tell Ojiji-sama."

_**Konohagakure**_

A man in his late 60's with an aura of supreme authority was standing just outside of a hospital room on the 3rd floor with 4 ANBU and a doctor. "This boy said he was home when he saw the monument. We have no record of him, and no one recognizes him. I want to know as much about him as we can by the time he wakes up. Run every blood test you can think of, I want to know who he is and every one he is related to. Because of the situation I want you to handle the testing yourself." He said speaking to the doctor. "Hai, Hokage-sama." Was the replay as the doctor bowed before heading to the nurse's station to give the orders.

Turning to the ANBU he puffs on his pipe for a minute before speaking. "I want this room guarded at all times. No one is to enter this room without me or the doctor present. Neko-chan, Kuma-kun, I want you two to guard his room every time your shift comes up. Taka-kun, I want you to notify ANBU headquarters about this as well as that there are to be two guards inside his room and two outside at all times. Neko-chan and Bear-kun will take the first shift in his room. Send Squad 8 before reporting in. I want them to take the next rotation. Yagi-kun, I want you to guard this room until Team 8 gets here and has spoken to Kuma-kun, and Neko-chan then have Anko, Tsume, Tenten, and Hana report to me tomorrow after lunch with their complete and written reports. Until we find out if this boy is friend or foe I want all the information we can get, and every precaution taken. Am I understood?"

"Hai!" is the collective response as the ANBU move to follow the orders of the man known as "Shinobi no Kami". Opening the door slowly so as not to disturb the prisoner/patient he watches the slow rise and fall of his breathing for a moment before leaving. 'Who are you, and why do you look so much like Minato-kun?' he thinks to himself before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

If he had stayed a couple of minutes he would have seen the boys eyes begin moving in REM as the unknown boy dreamed of his past.

_FLASHBACK_

Looking out over the city of Midgard Naruto couldn't help but still feel awe at the size of the city as well as its technological advances even after the month he had been here. Glancing down from a rooftop he shakes his head in wonder as the cars drive by on the streets below. As he hears the sound of construction on a building several blocks away he still feels amazement at what had happened and the state the city was in just a few months ago, and the terrible things that had happened several years prior with Sephiroth, and Jenova he had heard about. Leaning back he stretches his arms out before smiling at the new clothes Tifa had bought him after Cid began to explain his reasons why Naruto shouldn't wear "kill me" orange, but thinking about Cid's words also brought a blush to his face. Naruto knew boys and girls were different, but Cid went into great detail about _those_ differences when he found out Naruto hadn't had _the talk_ yet. Letting loose a chuckle at the memory of Cid panicking as he realized Tifa was behind him cracking her knuckles in preparation of beating Cid to a pulp.

Naruto turned serious at the sound of a sword being drawn, and looked to see Cloud holding his Buster Sword in his right hand, and a much smaller sword version in his left.

"Since you're healed and rested now it's time we started your training." Cloud lightly tosses the smaller sword to Naruto before entering a basic stance. "This is going to be painful since I'm not the teaching type. We're going to have to do this the painful way, and you'll have to learn through experience."

Gulping loudly Naruto nods his head, and tries to imitate Cloud's stance. Cloud runs forward bring the sword to bare in an arcing swing aimed just below Naruto's ribs. Awkwardly Naruto blocks the swing, but is knocked back as the force of the swing causes the back of his sword to slam into him. Sighing Cloud walks over and helps Naruto up. "It's a good thing I sent Tifa out for more food and first aid supplies, cause this is not only going to hurt, but take a lot longer than I thought. By the way that is a 9 piece composite blade with a ninjato in the handle. As for how to use it….let me demonstrate."

_FLASHBACK_

In a forest on the northern continent Naruto stood panting with his back against one of the almost crystalline appearing trees hoping that he had evaded Vincent for a few moments. When he had first heard the stories about him and how he was best described as a "vampire" Naruto had laughed, but after the last 6 weeks of training he knew that vampire was an understatement. Demon was a much better word. His 2 months of training with Tifa and Cloud was rough, and helped with his patience, and muscle, and had been excited to train with Vincent on his agility. That is until he found out the training consisted of dodging as Vincent took pot shots at him. Suddenly his eyes open wide in fear as he dodges quickly to the left barely avoiding another bullet as bark exploded mere inches from his head. Vincent was adapt at hiding his presence, and Naruto had yet to sense him before the warning of the gun being cocked. Silently cursing the fact this training was taking place in a forest of _glowing_ trees that made it almost impossible to hide he scanned the surrounding area from a position between a bush and a large rock. Feeling the cold steel of the business end of a barrel Naruto begins to sweat profusely staying as still as a corpse.

"Your skills have improved since we got here, but they are far from where they should be." Vincent puts his gun back in its holster, and leans against a rock. "Now can you tell me what you did wrong, and why you weren't able to sense me until I had the gun against your head?"

After turning to face him Naruto sat down, and scratched his head in thought. "Judging by where the sound of the gunshot came from I was paying too much attention to what was in front of me, and the same for when I was hiding behind the bush."

"That's right. What should you have done differently?"

Naruto sat with his arms crossed tapping his lips in thought for a few minutes before answering. "Each time I stopped I should have been thinking ahead about where to move next depending on where each shot came from. I also need to stay calm so I can think instead of just fleeing randomly."

"Good, Naruto. Before we head back for dinner can you tell me why it's bad to just dodge without thinking ahead?"

After a few more minutes of thought, and looking around the area the training had taken place in Naruto answered slowly unsure if he had it right. "Well…..I guess running randomly is ok as long as you are fast enough, since it works for rabbits, but if your enemy is faster than you or can follow your movements well enough that won't work."

Smiling Vincent could see the boy was beginning to use his head for more than a hat rack. "Now that you've finally figured it out I want to you think about this in depth tomorrow, and we will discuss what you've come up with over a game of shogi after dinner." Pushing himself off the rock he gestures for Naruto to follow him before walking towards the house. "When we get back to the house I want you to stretch and then take a hot bath to help your muscles relax. I also want you to stretch before bed too, but only light stretches. We don't want your muscles cramping up from being overstrained."

_FLASHBACK_

As Naruto sneaked through a hallway avoiding the moonlight entering from a nearby window he couldn't help but think this was some kind of perverted joke. His task was relatively simple, but the goal wasn't. His training in the ninja arts of Wutai was going well, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that Godo was trying to get some payback on him and Yuffie after their recent bout of pranks. Reaching the target's door Naruto hesitated at the thought of what he would have to do and if he would escape unharmed or even intact for that matter. Slowly he slid the door open and slipped silently into the room. It took him over a minute to reach the target as he crept as silently as he could careful not to wake her. He held back a sigh of relief at seeing she was laying on her back making this easier for him. As he leaned down to do the deed he was sent to complete he pauses briefly wondering what success of this would mean for future missions and if he'd survive to see tomorrow. With his face mere inches from her's he takes in how peaceful and beautiful she looks solidifying it into his memory before steeling himself. His breathing slows to the point where it was all but impossible to tell if he was holding his breath before placing his lips on hers as softly as he could. His movements as slow as molasses in January, and soft as silk he is caught unaware as he suddenly feels a tongue against his lips. Jerking back in surprise he catches himself before he falls back only making a slight noise. Carefully he checks to see if she is still asleep only to see her eyes still closed, but what worried him was the mischievous smile on her lips. Seeing nothing else he slips back out, and almost faceplants when he hears her softly moan "Naruto-kuuuun". Once the door is shut he moves as quickly as he can while remaining stealthy out of the house to report to Godo, and give him a piece of his mind about making him steal a kiss from Yuffie as a skill test. Naruto started to sweat at painful things Yuffie would do to him if she knew what happened.

_**20 minutes later**_

Naruto sat down taking the ninja mask off his head shooting a glare at the grinning Godo. "Mission complete. I went in unnoticed, and managed your _task_ without waking her. I noticed a few traps, but managed to avoid them since disarming them would alert her to my presence."

"Good. Good. You did well, Naruto, but you are forgetting something. Your target was Yuffie. We will have to wait until tomorrow to see if you succeeded or not."

At this Naruto shot Godo a glance that was both worried, and curious. "What do you mean? She slept through the whole thing."

Godo's smile only grew at the 12 year old's words. "Yuffie is even more mischievous then you are. She may have been awake and thinking about the consequences you will face in the morning. I suggest you go to bed. It may be the last chance you have to sleep peacefully."

Naruto swallowed hard as visions of Yuffie playing jump rope with his intestines, and the relentless pranks he would be the victim of played through his mind. Slowly he stands up and bids good night to Godo as the nervous shaking was quite evident. As Naruto walked out the door Godo couldn't resist one last barb at the boy's expense. "Rest in peace." He said causing the boy to shut the door on his fingers, and laughed at the yelp of pain knowing Naruto would not be able to sleep, and would be a nervous wreck by breakfast.

_FLASHBACK_

It had been nearly a year since he had arrived in this world, and his 13th birthday was only a few weeks away. Even though it had been such a short period of time he hardly recognized the person staring back at him from the mirror. His body had become more muscled, and he had grown to the point he was nearly as tall as Yuffie. His whisker marks had also started to fade growing lighter with each passing month. This made him wonder what was going on with Kyuubi. After he had arrived here he had talked with Kyuubi, and it had taken him a while to come to terms with the fact that the same demon who had nearly wiped Konoha off the map was sealed inside him. A slight frown could be seen on Naruto's face as he began to wonder why Kyuubi had been in a worse mood then usual lately. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he checked himself in the mirror once more.

'Today is not a day to be in a bad mood. I got to get myself together. After all Tifa finally managed to nail down Cloud, and they are getting married today.' If he was being honest with himself he would admit he was glad they had set the date for the end of his training rotation in Midgard. Granted he would miss them, and even had recently begun to think of them as the mother and father he never had. Smiling to himself he gently picked up the pillow with 2 beautiful adamantine rings with gold filigree that symbolized how precious and indestructible their bond was before walking out the door.

_FLASHBACK END_

_**Konohagakure – **__Hokage's office _

Saratobi sat reading the last of the reports from the witnesses at the hot spring from yesterday's incident. After rereading a particular part he set the file down, and looked at the konoichi standing before him with his fingers steepled. Before he had a chance to speak the door opened and the doctor he had spoken to walked in holding up a file. Saratobi nodded, and turned to the women. "Thank you for the thoroughness of your reports especially considering the short notice I gave you. Please continue to think about what happened in case you remember something you didn't add to the report. Until then you are dismissed."

Each of the konoichi glanced at the file the doctor held curious about what was in it, but held it in check knowing that if the Hokage wanted them to know he wouldn't have dismissed them. As the last one shut the door behind her the doctor slid the file onto the desk and sat down. "I ran the tests you requested myself, as per your orders, and even went so far as to use one of the labs for high contagion only to insure privacy. Honestly, Sir, I am not just surprised at the results, but am in a state of complete shock. According to our records the boy is indeed a citizen of Konoha. The interesting thing about it is that he was thought to have died over 3 years ago." At hearing this Saratobi raised an eyebrow even more intrigued about the boy. "His name is Uzumaki Naruto." The doctor said hoping to get some information about this, but knew it was not to be as both of the Hokage's eyebrows shot up past his hairline in surprise. Getting control of himself he gestured for the doctor to continue after saying his piece. "I am sure I don't have to tell you the implications of this so all I am going to say is this. What you have just reported and anything that touches it is to be considered a SS-class village secret with not only your life but the lives of anyone you tell as well as yours and their families' lives at stake. "What is most interesting is what the results of the DNA comparison tests were. Both of his parents are on file, and unfortunately are also both deceased. His mother is Uzumaki Kushina. She was a konoichi of Konoha that died 15 years ago during the Kyuubi attack like so many others. It's surprising no one knew of her considering she was well known as "The Red Death" apparently." At this he saw Saratobi pale and worry could be seen clearly in his eyes. "Who the father is just astounding considering no one even knew he was in a relationship. To be so well known and in the public's eye, yet keep such a relationship so secret that even after his death there wasn't even the slightest rumor says he was even more skilled then we all thought he was." Saratobi had become even more agitated as he listened even to the point where he was shaking as if hoping what he was thinking would be proven false with the doctor's next words. Unfortunately for him the Fates seem to dislike closet perverts like him. "As you may have already guessed his father was none other than Namikaze Minato, The Yellow Flash, and Yondaime Hokage." Hearing his worst fear confirmed Saratobi could only put his face in his hands, and say with a voice filled with sadness and guilt… "I am too old for this shit."

Seeing the Hokage's reaction he knew the next bit of news would not go over well at all. Emitting a forced cough to gain Saratobi's attention the doctor continued. "I'm afraid there is more. It seems he is also related to other shinobi still on active duty. They are…"

_**Konoha Shinobi Hospital**_

A group of 8 ANBU was exchanging information for the current shift change. This was done in ANBU sign language so no outsiders would learn anything that was supposed to be kept secret. Nodding to each other the group split up with 4 going to report in to the Hokage, and the others went to their assigned positions for guarding Naruto. This would be the 5th rotation since the boy was admitted, and the task was growing very boring for some. Little did they know that the unconscious boy would not only change their lives, but the lives of many throughout the Elemental Nations just as he had a certain group of people on a world they didn't even know existed.

_FLASHBACK_

It had been 4 months since Cloud and Tifa's wedding and Naruto was very happy that they had finally done it, and they seemed even more like a family then before. Normally Naruto would be ecstatic, but not today. Today he had heard something that held the possibility of something he had dreamed of his entire life, but there was no way he could accept considering what he had learned from Kyuubi. He was torn heart and soul over this wanting to jump for joy, and crying his eyes out for the pain it would cause them if he did. Watching the boy shake with the conflicting emotions, and repressed tears, Tifa and Cloud exchanged a look before speaking. "Naruto, what is wrong? We talked about this after the wedding and we both thought you would be overjoyed. In our hearts you are already a son to us, so please tell us why you are so upset?"

Clenching his eyes shut and balling his fists he forcibly got a hold of himself before answering. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you think of me as a son, and love me enough to want to adopt me. I have hoped and prayed for a family for so long." Tears shined clearly in his eyes as he looked at them begging him to understand what he was trying to say. "I want nothing more than to accept this with all my heart, but….but I cannot." As the words left him he bowed his head letting the tears flow freely. By the time several tears had started to soak into the carpet Tifa had moved next to him wrapping him with one arm while taking his hand with the other. "Why, Naruto?" She asked with more than a little concern. It broke her heart to see the person she would always see as her first born son in such a state.

As he began to sob hating himself for hurting the two people he never wanted to even if it cost him his life he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's ok, Naruto. Just calm down, and talk to us. Please we are both very worried about you."

Taking several shuttering breaths Naruto started to calm himself and finally wiped the last few tears from his eyes. He had been agonizing over how to break the news to them, and now he had the perfect time to. Granted it was not in any way near the situation he had been hoping for. Taking a last few deep breaths he kept his head down as he spoke not daring to look at them. "I….I….It seems that my being here is only temporary. What Kyuubi did to bring me here saved my life, but in order for me to stay here it is killing him slowly. In 1 year maybe 2 he will die and I will return to Konoha when he dies. Before he passes away he wants to pass on his knowledge and as much of his power as he can. I don't know if it's some weird way for him to keep on living, or if he likes me, or even if it's because he feels bad about how my childhood was. He is only asking one thing from me, and says it's something all ninja do in their career. I don't know what it is yet, but he said I'll know before we…..I go back."

Cloud and Tifa look at each other sadness plain as they both hugged Naruto. In a very short time Cloud was hugging both of them as Tifa's tears joined Naruto's. In what could have been 5 minutes, 1 hour or even 5 hours the emotional tide finally ended leaving them all drained. Kissing Tifa on the forehead, and squeezing Naruto's shoulders Cloud stood up to make them all some food, his head swimming with thoughts. While Cloud was in the kitchen Tifa and Naruto cleaned up the mess they had made of their faces their minds and hearts a swirling mess that left them nauseous. As he sat back down an idea that had started out microscopically small began to grow in strength as his emotions settled down causing a glimmer of hope in his eyes that was bolstered by the fact that they wanted him to be a part of their family as much as he did.

As they ate in silence this small hope gained strength from each little touch Tifa gave him, and the looks of love, and understanding they both gave him. Finally gathering the courage he put his fork on the plate, and took a deep breath. "I know I have no right to ask this with how badly I have just hurt you, but I want to stay here and be a family with you more than anything." Raising his head he looks at them with hope and fear battling within his eyes. "Would it be alright with you if I changed my name to Naruto Strife?" With the silent plea screaming in his eyes tears once more flowed from Tifa's eyes as she looked at Cloud. Sharing a look that spoke volumes in a way that only those whose heart are as one, have spent years together, and have faced death together can Cloud smiled and turned to Naruto.

Looking Naruto in the eyes pride and fatherly love showing plainer than any other emotion except his love for Tifa on their wedding day had so far Cloud said the words that Naruto had waited to hear. "We would not only love it, but we also would be honored, Son." As his dream, however fleeting, became a reality he jumped out of the chair, and ran over to Tifa, and Cloud enveloping them in a hug that could pass for a death grip as he cried with joy on a level he never thought he would ever be allowed to feel.

_FLASHBACK_

About a mile outside of Wutai Cid, Cloud, Tifa, Barrett, Nanaki, Vincent, and Yuffie were gathered for a special event. After the last test Vincent gave Naruto it was decide that he was ready to learn the final step of Materia training, and Cloud had brought his complete Master Summon type Materia. "Since you have done so well with your Materia training we have decided it is time for you to learn to use the Summon Materia." As Naruto held it something unusual happened as Cloud explained how to use it. Like every time he held a new Materia for the first time, the blue chakra that all humans have would extend from his arm enveloping the Materia before turning green and get reabsorbed back into his body. After the tutorial which included the levels and names of the Summons Cloud pointed to a tree. "Ok, Son. I want you to focus like I told you and summon Ifrit on that tree. Using Summon Materia is very draining when you start so don't use any higher level summons until we tell you otherwise." Showing a grin that should have torn his cheeks in half Naruto faces the tree, and concentrates as he was told.

Pushing more power into it then he probably should because this was his first time, and was eager to make his family proud he finally felt ready. Shouting "IFRIT" he threw out his fist at the tree. With his jaw almost touching the ground in awe he watched the Summon erupt from the ground in a massive conflagration before annihilating the tree in a massive explosion. Naruto Jumps into the air yelling and laughing like crazy at doing so well dropping the Master Summon Materia in the process. After giving the "good guy" pose causing everyone to hold their stomachs in laughter Naruto turns around to inspect the damage he did to the tree only to see the tall grass catch fire and begin to quickly spread. His eyes widen in shock and before he can think his body is already in motion. Panicking he raises both hands palms facing the growing inferno, and puts more energy than he had planned into his hands and shouts "LEVIATHON" sending a massive wave of water forward flooding the area where the fire was.

Staring at Naruto and what he just did the group can't believe what they just saw. Naruto turns back to the group with one hand behind his head and an apologetic smile on his face. "Oops." He says with a small chuckle before dropping to the ground unconscious from the massive blow to his chakra reserves. Tifa casts Regen as she runs over to him. As they check his vitals they are relieved to see he is just exhausted. As Vincent picks Naruto up to carry him back to Wutai Cid starts talking about what they should do for Naruto as a present for using Materia right the first time, and how awesome it would have to be since he cast a level 2 summon on his first day. When he mentions buying a hooker he very violently is sent face first into the ground from one of Tifa's powerhouse punches.

_**LATER THAT NIGHT**_

With Naruto safely tucked in bed the group had their own little celebration and made plans for the party. After a while Cid took a bottle of sake, and sat outside watching the stars. Cid frowned at the cup seeing only a few drops flow from the bottle not realizing he had drank all of it already. Muttering to himself he pulls back his arm preparing to throw the bottle when he hears someone filling his cup. Looking over he sees Yuffie with a slight red hue to her cheeks signifying she was drunk but not hammered. Slowly she sat down and looked up at the moon remaining silent as Cid tipped the cup to her, and continued with his drinking. Ten slow minutes passed before she spoke in quiet tones giving voice to her thoughts.

"I think you're right that we need to do something major for Naruto since his first Summon Materia use was definitely something for the record books, but a hooker doesn't even rank high enough to be a birthday present."

"Too true, Yuffie, but with all he's been through before he came here and everything he's done since THAT is the only cherry he has yet to pop as far as I can tell."

Unconsciously she licked her lips at the topic of discussion which did not go unnoticed by Cid. Grinning mischievously, well mischievously for a man on his 4th bottle of sake, Cid gave voice to the alcohol induced idea. "Why don't you help him into manhood?"

Yuffie's head jerked around to look at him in surprise only to see him raise his hands defensively. "Hear me out before you decide to use that oversized shuriken of yours on me. I know you like him, don't deny it, and I have caught him checking you out on several occasions. I've even seen his nose bleed as he watched you do the splits during your morning stretches. Also you are both ninjas. Who better then another ninja to teach the boy...excuse me…._man_ about how to please a woman?"

Yuffie turned her head up towards the moon in thought as a slight smile crossed her lips. After a moment the smile grew into a smirk as she turned to Cid. "Even though you are so drunk you can't even sit up straight you may be on to something." Standing up she walked back inside thinking about the next "test" Naruto would have with sway to her hips.

_**2 DAYS LATER**_

Once again Naruto found himself sneaking through Yuffie's house on another of Godo's tests. Godo had told him that if he passed it he would have mastered his stealth training, and had even given Naruto the Materia for Steal and Mug to help him with it. As he faced the door to Yuffie's bedroom he sighed as softly as a spider walking along its web dreading what would happen if she woke up. Stealing himself he slips into the room and carefully looks around before creeping closer to the bed. As he stands mere inches from the bed the moonlight enables him to see Yuffie clearly laying on the bed with the covers kicked off. This night she was sleeping with her arms over her head and her legs slightly spread wearing a button up shirt that only had 2 buttons fastened, and a pair of panties that tied at the sides.

As any red blooded man would do in his situation he admires the almost naked beauty bathed in moonlight. Shaking himself he carefully gets to work untying the panties and slipping them out from under her. As he pockets them he pulls out another pair and wonders how he is supposed to put them on her without waking her. He glances at her face to make sure she is still sleeping only to see moonlight reflected in her eyes that were certainly fully awake. He starts to sweat as he franticly tries to think of a way out of the beating of a lifetime he is about to receive. Unconsciously he moves to step back only to have Yuffie move with lightning speed flipping him onto the bed. Blinking his eyes in surprise he finds he is pinned down with Yuffie's bare womanhood mere inches from his face. Swallowing hard he idly wonders why she smells of strawberries and honey as he forces his eyes up to hers. His nerves become even more frayed at the predatory gleam in her eyes.

Slowly she bends down holding his wrists in place with her hands as she slides her body down his until their noses are almost touching. Unable to blink Naruto wonders if this is how a rabbit feels just before it is caught by an eagle when Yuffie suddenly speaks in a whisper. "Time for your "punishment", Naru-kun." Fear at her words and then surprise as he feels their lips meet cause his eyes to open as far as they will go. Slowly they close as the kiss deepens, and their hands start to undress each other

_FLASHBACK_

Having escaped from the fiends over hour ago Naruto limps toward Midgard leaving a small trail of blood from his injuries. After he had made it safely away Kyuubi had told him that the time was close, and that he needed to hurry if he wanted to say his goodbyes. Kyuubi had also given Naruto the last of his knowledge he was willing to share, and told him the specifics of the task he wanted Naruto to do as part of the deal they had made. That task was to kill a man named Madera Uchiha, but for him to do this he had to become stronger. Even stronger then the 4th Hokage who entire nations feared seeing on the battlefield. Hurrying to reach the city as fast as he could tears fell to the ground as he heard Kyuubi give a regretful sigh full of sadness.

"**I am sorry, kit. It looks like we weren't fast enough."**

Hearing these words Naruto casts float hoping to propel himself faster. Sadly it only made things worse for after only a couple minutes with Midgard still on the horizon he heard Kyuubi say goodbye, and was enveloped in the same energy he had been 3 years ago.

_FLASHBACK END_

_**Konohagakure**__-Shinobi hospital_

Slowly Naruto opened his eyes praying that what he remembered was just a dream, and looked around. Tears flooded his eyes as he saw the inside of a hospital room he knew all too well from before his days of being happy and part of a family. This is the scene the Hokage walked into when he entered the room a few minutes later, and stopped dead still seeing such emotional heartfelt pain. Slowly Saratobi walked over and sat in a chair next to the bed, and waited for Naruto to cry himself out. After several long minutes the tears finally stopped, and Naruto wiped his eyes. With his head still down he spoke with a voice filled with sadness. "Long time no see, Jiji."

"So long we thought you were dead, Naruto. I hate to admit it though, but it seems your life away from here was much better than it was before you left." Loathing himself for doing this to a boy who has been through so much already he lets out a deep sigh before speaking again. "Naruto, we have to talk, and some of questions I have to ask won't be easy on you if what I just saw is any indicator. Why don't we start easy with you telling me what happened, and why you left?" As he spoke he did the hand seals for a privacy jutsu having already ordered the ANBU out of the room with ANBU sign language.

**SEVERAL HOURS LATER**

Leaning back in his chair Saratobi reaches into his pocket, and pulls out his pipe. After having lit the tobacco he takes a long draw before exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"You know you're not supposed to smoke in a hospital, Jiji."

"True, but there is no need for concern since Uzumaki Naruto is officially dead."

_**TRAINING GROUND 3 -**__THE NEXT DAY_

Tenten was in a very foul mood. The spandex freak and his mini-clone were even worse than usual today during their morning training not to mention the D class mission that is the bane of all genin. Kami how she hated that demon cat. Stomping toward where she was told Kakashi would be to deliver the challenge message she catches sunlight glinting off of metal. Curious she heads in the direction of the reflected light. Coming to a clearing she sees Naruto shirtless and covered in sweat training with a pair of Shuang Gou. Staying back she watches the man that had appeared in the middle of the konoichi hot spring a few days ago. The longer she watches the more respect she has for his skill as he fluidly went through the motions with a deadly grace. As she watched as Naruto's movements slowed down she was able to get a look as his bare torso taking note of how well muscled he was as well as the scars. When Naruto stopped in a kneeling position with his back to her she noticed that some of the scars were fairly recent, and wondered at what caused them.

Rising up Naruto reached over his shoulder for the massive sword strapped to his back. With ease and speed that spoke of proficiency he opened up the composite sword replacing the Shuang Gou and placing the large sword on his back in a matter of 2-3 seconds. As his hand released the hilt he quickly tapped the pommel causing a ninjato to shoot out 15 feet into the air. Moving in a brief taijutsu kata he catches the short sword in a reverse grip behind his back immediately going into the proper sword kata. Tenten watched in awe at the skill he showed with kenjutsu, and drooled at seeing his weapons in action.

Being the weapons mistress she is she quickly began daydreaming about wielding Naruto's weapons as her eyes never left him. As her daydream progressed from her wielding the swords to sparing with Naruto her breathing quickened and a slight blush could be seen on her cheeks. With her daydreams getting to the point where Naruto is pinning her to a tree with his ninjato she suddenly snaps out of it at the sound of Naruto slamming the ninjato back into the larger sword. Blinking at the brief disorientation she stumbled back gaining Naruto's attention. Seeing him walking towards her she starts to panic remembering that he had seen her naked, dripping wet body, and looked around for and escape route. Before she could bolt like a rabbit Naruto smiles at her speaking in a flirtatious way. "So, Beautiful, enjoy the show?"

Blushing slightly more she stands up dusting herself off using the time to get her wits back together. "Your swordsmanship is impressive, but that sword of yours is awe inspiring. Where did you get it at, and do you know the blacksmith that made it?"

The smile fades from his lips at her questions as his expression turns sad. "There are only 2 of these in existence. The man that made them is…unreachable."

Not missing the change in mood she tried to think of a way to change the subject and remembers they hadn't been introduced yet. "We haven't introduced ourselves yet. I am Tenten, a genin on Team Gai. My family also runs the weapon shop near Ichiraku's Ramen stand." She said bowing at the waist in a semi-formal way.

Scratching the back of his head with a rueful smile Naruto returns the bow. "I am Naruto Strife. I just got here a few days ago, and am supposed to take an academy placement test Saturday."

Tenten furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "Academy? With what I just saw you are easily high genin if not chunin in skill. Why are you going to the academy?"

Remembering what he had discussed with Saratobi he tells her the cover story they had come up with together. "Since I am new here they want to see how I interact with people in my own age group. It's understandable really. After all would you trust someone that showed up out of the blue, and put him in the shinobi ranks without at least some form of trial period?"

Tenten nodded understanding his point, but failing to see why he still had to attend the academy. Shrugging that train of thought away she smiles at Naruto. "Since you won't know what supplies you'll need until after your exam why don't you stop by my family's store, and I'll give you a discount."

"Thanks. I think I'll do that." Seeing the position of the sun in the sky, and the empty feeling in his stomach he rolls his shoulders before turning to pick up his gear. "I hate to cut this short, but I need to get cleaned up, and grab some dinner."

Not having realized how much time had passed since her arrival at training ground 3 she said a quick farewell getting a promise to see him soon, and ran off to the weapon shop completely forgetting the message she was supposed to deliver.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto was disgusted. Not with himself, but with the Hokage, and the 2 chunin he had testing him. If you can call _that_ a test. All they did was have him do the basic academy stuff that almost anyone could do by the age of 9. They didn't have him perform any ninjutsu, taijutsu, swordsmanship, or anything else besides the basic stuff. Why they didn't test his skill, and give him a rank befitting it was beyond him. The only conclusion he could come up with was so petty and short sighted he refused to even acknowledge it. So here he was irritated and stomping his way towards the academy not even noticing Tenten waiting outside the gates with a box in her hands. As he walked past her unaware a tick mark appeared on her forehead, and doing what any konoichi with her weapon skill would. She threw a kunai at him. What she didn't expect was for him to suddenly catch the kunai but the handle spinning to face his would be assassin. Seeing Tenten standing there he grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Tenten. I had a rough weekend, and am still a little upset about the so called exam." Naruto said as he handed her kunai back.

"It's ok, Naruto-kun. I just came by to give you the last of the supplies you ordered." She said holding out the box to him.

Smiling he took the box, and put its contents into the seals on his arms before handing the box back to her. "Thanks I appreciate this a lot. You know you didn't have to deliver this. I could have picked them up this afternoon."

"It's no problem, Naruto-kun. Today was a rest day for my team so I have a lot of spare time today. Speaking of which…..Would you like me to show you around town this afternoon? You probably haven't had a chance to get oriented with being in the hospital and the exam."

He smiled thinking she looked cute with the slight blush as she coyly ducked her eyes towards the ground. "Sure that sounds like a good idea. Plus it would help me get my mind off of certain things."

Beaming a smile at his acceptance she didn't see the shadow of sadness in his eyes, and promised to meet him at the gate after classes before running off. Naruto headed inside following the directions on the paper given him by the Hokage after his exam. He stood in front of the door to the class pocketing the paper, and schooled his features since he was still in a bad mood. Opening the door we walked up to the teacher he had met at the Hokage's office. "Good morning, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka smiled at the boy having heard the cover story the Hokage and Naruto had come up with. "Good morning, Strife-san. It's good to see you found the class without any problems. When I get everyone's attention I want you to introduce yourself. Ok?"

Naruto nodded just wanting to get this over with knowing he would learn almost nothing from spending time in the academy, and faced the rest of the class. It took Iruka several minutes to get the class's attention, and only managed to do that by using the infamous Big-head jutsu. After making sure he had their attention he told the class about the new student, and motioned for Naruto to introduce himself.

"My name in Naruto Strife. Age: 15 Blood type: B Height: 5'5 Weight: 140 lbs Hair: Blonde Eyes: Green. It is nice to meet you." Naruto bowed formally hoping the information he gave would help him to avoid any awkward questions. Seeing Iruka gesture to a spot towards the back of the class he walked over and sat down. As Iruka began taking role call he took note of the names and faces of those in his class. As the day slowly passed for Naruto he was proven right in his assumption that he would learn almost nothing from this with the exception being history. When the lunch bell rang he came as a relief. His lunch was spent lying against a tree in the shade wondering how he was going to get through this without going stir crazy. The only option he had come up with by the time lunch was over was mimicking the boy Shikamaru, and sleeping during class. In a better mood then he was this morning but still more then irritated at the situation he made his way back to class.

Having missed that morning's fangirl race between Sakura and Ino he felt more than a little disgust, and strongly considered casting Stop on them when they ran in like banshees fighting over who got to sit next to Sasuke. While he was listing the pros and cons of casting a Materia spell on them he didn't notice a rough looking boy with a puppy on his head walk over to him.

"What's wrong? Jealous they aren't fighting over you?" The boy said with malicious humor in his voice. Kiba's motives behind this were simple. Coming from a clan that had a pack like organization he was going to show the new kid he was the bottom of the pack. Little did he know he had just made himself an unwilling victim of Naruto's pent up aggression.

Looking up at the boy that smelled like a kennel Naruto quickly sized him up, and found him to be severely wanting in the threat department. "Are you kidding? Why would I be jealous of some closet gay emo, and his pathetically oblivious banshee whore harem?"

Kiba snickered at the names Naruto had used for Sasuke and his fangirls before moving on with his plan. "A new guy like you would never have a chance with any girl so it would only be natural for an omega like you to be jealous of your betters."

Naruto having learned a lot about nature and animal behavior from Nanaki narrowed his eyes at the insult, and smiled as an idea came to him. Flaring his nostrils dramatically in Kiba's direction he then spoke in a curiously humorous tone. "Is that virgin I smell? Must be since a flea bag mutt like you wouldn't even get looked at twice by the village stray even if she was in heat."

Kiba, who viewed himself as an alpha, was pissed. Here was this guy on his first day at the academy insulting the son of the head of the Inuzuka clan, and at the same time insulted his manhood not 10 feet from his crush. "What would you know? You probably don't even know what this difference is between boys and girls yet!" he growled out loudly catching the rest of the room's attention.

Seeing how easily Kiba was riled Naruto leaned back lazily, and spoke in a bored tone. "Instead of wasting my time trying to explain things you obviously are unable to comprehend I'll give you the short answer. Yes I know what the difference between men and women are. My ex-girlfriend made sure of that almost a year ago." Naruto finished looking at Kiba with a smirk.

Really not liking the look that on Naruto's face that said "I'm more of a man then you will ever be, and you will have nothing but pity from me." Kiba growled flexing his claw like fingers. "BULLSHIT! There is no way a nobody like you could have a girlfriend let alone had sex!"

Seeing that everyone including the narcoleptic was watching with interest Naruto casually reached into his pocket, and pulled out a picture that Cid had taken of Yuffie and him in bed asleep. The picture show the covers half off the bed, Naruto in boxers, and Yuffie wearing a halter top and panties while she was laying on her side with an arm and leg draped over him. Slowly holding it up so that everyone near him could see what the picture was, he waved it under Kiba's nose. "That is a picture of me and my ex-girlfriend Yuffie taken by my uncle Cid on our 9 week anniversary." As he spoke his voice turned sad towards the end not noticing the looks he was getting from some of the girls. Some of the less fanatical fangirls had already thought he was cute, and couldn't help but feel their hearts go out to him at the loss that was plain in his voice and face. Surprisingly even the vice-president of the Sasuke fan club, known more commonly as Ino Yamanaka, was one of them. Wanting to hear more they kept quiet silently trying to coax more information from him.

Kiba's eyes had widened at the picture and he even had a slight nosebleed from seeing a nearly naked woman in such a cutely seductive position. Shaking his head he wiped the blood off his face before digging his grave even deeper. "Yeah right! That's probably just some hooker you paid for the picture. I bet such a whore wouldn't even fuck you no matter how much you begged." Oblivious to the massive wave of killer intent directed at him Kiba laughed loudly not realizing he was so close to death that even Shinigami-sama was double checking the paperwork on when Kiba was supposed to die.

As his killer intent grew to the point where some of the class was passing out, and others were fighting for control of their bladders Naruto slowly stood up his face promising an agonizingly slow death in the most torturously painful way possible. Naruto's muscles stood out against his skin with the force of trying to resist the urge to turn the mutt into a stain on the wall. Kiba's laughter ended abruptly when Naruto grabbed a hold of his throat, his arm shaking with repressed rage. As Naruto's grip tightened slowly cutting off the air to his lungs Kiba could have sworn he saw the Shinigami standing behind Naruto.

"This is the only warning I will ever give, _boy_. If you ever say anything demeaning about Yuffie again I will make the extremely short time you have left is far beyond anything your puny brain can imagine." Kiba tried to nod as he fought to stay conscious only to have Naruto throw him across the room with such force his body left an imprint on the chalkboard. Staring death at Kiba's prone body Naruto stood, fists clenched at his sides using everything he had to calm down. It was at this time Iruka walked back into the room. Rushing over Iruka quickly checked Kiba's vital signs before looking up in time to see Naruto sitting back down.

"What happened here?" Iruka asked taking note of the scared and admiring looks sent Naruto's way.

"The dobe just got taught a lesson by the new guy." Sasuke said in a disinterested way as he looked back out the window. Though his thoughts were another story. 'This Naruto seems pretty strong. I wonder if I'll finally have someone to truly test my strength against.'

Iruka seeing the few nods of affirmation sighed picking up Kiba. "I am taking him to the Nurses office. While I am gone I want you to read Chapter 4 of the Yondaime Hokage's reign, and Naruto we will talk about this after class."

When Iruka returned he could tell that whatever Kiba did Naruto was still pissed about it, and decided to leave him alone until class was over. The time seemed to pass with a snail's pace for everyone as they could feel the rise and fall of Naruto's killer intent. Even Shikamaru who thought everything except sleep was too troublesome kept a careful eye on Naruto. Some of the girls however had their thoughts in turmoil thinking about what they had witnessed. Ino kept glancing at Naruto wondering what had happened to the girl he had spoken of with such sadness of. She could also tell that he had cared for her deeply, and still did, if the rage he had shown when she was insulted was any indication. Near the end of class Naruto had taken out the picture of him and Yuffie, and just sat staring at it his face full of sadness, loss, and love. He continued to sit like this even after the bell rang signaling the end of class, his whole world consisting of the photo and the pain in his heart. As Iruka gathered his papers giving the boy more a few more minutes several of the girls kept glancing at Naruto talking softly to each other as the foundations of his fan club were laid. Sighing Iruka walked over to Naruto, and sat down next to him before speaking.

"I can tell that whatever Kiba did to anger you is about that girl. Why don't you tell me about her, and why you felt the need to send one of you fellow students to the hospital?"

Naruto stared at the photo for a few more minutes while Iruka waited patiently knowing that whatever was going on the girl in the photo was very important to him. Finally taking a deep breath Naruto pocketed the photo before telling Iruka about his relationship with Yuffie, and what had happened in the classroom leaving out the parts that were deemed secret after his conversation in the hospital with Saratobi. Iruka was silent through it all though his face showed sympathy for he knew many shinobi that had lost loved ones including himself. Standing up he patted Naruto on the shoulder in encouragement. "Go home and rest. I will talk with Kiba's mother, who is head of the Inuzuka Clan, myself tonight. I know what you are going through. I lost my parents 15 years ago and a lover when she died during a mission. I will be honest with you. The pain will never truly go away, but it will lessen with time. Just don't let it eat you from the inside." Iruka squeezed his shoulder before heading over to the Inuzuka compound wondering if Kiba would be able to come to class when Tsume was done with him.

Tenten was still waiting at the gate having heard what had happened from some of the girls in Naruto's class, and was pacing nervously when he finally left the academy. Seeing the emotional state he was in she began to worry that he would turn down the offer for her to show him around Konoha. Hearing Tenten's feet shuffle nervously Naruto looked up, and gave a sad smile as he walked over to her.

"I'm sorry, Tenten. Today was a bad day for me, and I really don't want to be alone right now. If it's ok with you could you still show me around? I'll understand if you don't want to with my mood, and having been kept waiting so long." Naruto's voice was filled with sadness, but his eyes held a silent plea not unlike a child hoping for the light to be left on at bedtime.

"It's ok, Naruto-kun. I don't mind at all." Tenten said smiling. Not wanting to make his mood worse she changed the subject by pointing out different places, and describing them. As the sun began to set they were at the Hokage monument standing above the Yondaime Hokage's head. They stood there in silence watching the colorful sky darken. "Beautiful." Naruto whispers causing the blush Tenten had from watching the light play through his hair to deepen. "Yes you are." Said Tenten, catching Naruto's attention. "I'm sorry. What did you say?" He asked wondering what she was thinking since he had missed most of what she said. Thanking Kami for the lack of light as she could feel the heat from her deepening blush she tries to think of something to say when her stomach growls loudly. Laughing lightly at what he thinks her just her embarrassment at her hunger he puts a hand on her shoulder. "Since it's getting late, and you're obviously hungry why don't I treat you to dinner?"

Tenten was afraid of what would come out of her mouth next considering what she's said the last time she opened it so she just nodded. She really didn't care where they went as she was praying to Kami that he didn't think her a fool. After they had made it down from the Hokage monument, and entered the restaurant district she finally managed to get her voice back. "I know a good place that's only a couple blocks over." She said pointing in the relevant direction. Looking up at Naruto she was captivated by his smile, and found herself getting lost in his blue eyes until he spoke.

"That sounds great, Tenten." Naruto took her hand, and started walking in the direction she had indicated. He did not see her blush because the shock had made her slow to start walking, and was a step behind him. Getting a hold of herself she slightly tightened her grip on his hand, and matched his pace. Although she kept her head forward, and continued to tell him about the places they passed her eyes would constantly dart to his face and their hands.

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To say Tsume was upset was like saying the sun was hot. Correct, but one hell of understatement. Iruka had just left after talking with Tsume about what her son Kiba had done in class, and how he had barely escaped being turned into little more than a memory. She had called her daughter in after hearing what Iruka wanted to talk with her about. While Tsume was growling with her fists clenched, Hana was grinding her teeth at the dishonor Kiba had not only brought upon himself, but their clan as well. As clan heir she was justifiably pissed, and would have sent her little brother to the hospital if he wasn't there already.

"Hana, send a message to Anko, and Kurenai telling them I request a meeting at the Akimichi BBQ restaurant in 1 hour. Tell them that I wish to discuss with them some of the students Kurenai may have since she will be a sensei this year, and the possibility that Anko may have a new plaything soon among other things. It is best we get this done before Kiba gets out of the hospital or I may just end up giving Kiba to Anko until he graduates."

Hana bowed to the clan head before leaving to dispatch a messenger to the two jonin. When she returned telling her mother that the messages had been sent Tsume gestured for her to follow. The two remained silent as both envisioned the punishments Kiba would receive, and the ones they thought Anko would deal out as they headed to the meeting place. They walked along the roads instead of jumping over the rooftops to give themselves time to cool off. The sun had just started to set as they walked in seeing the two women they were to meet already there.

"I heard your son got sent to the hospital today after getting his ass kicked. Is that why you wanted to talk with us?" Anko asked as they sat down.

"Partially yes, and if Kiba doesn't stop acting like a fool I may just give him to you as a graduation gift, Anko-san." Tsume growled out before signaling the waitress to send over some sake, and meat.

Anko and Kurenai exchanged a look having thought Tsume would be calling for the other boy's blood instead of her son's. Confusion clear in her voice Kurenai gave voice to the question they both had. "What did Kiba do? From what I hear he's the one that got beat up."

Tsume flexed her fingers leaving gouges in the table from her claw like fingernails. "That is exactly why I am pissed at him. His teacher, Iruka, came by after class to tell me what happened. Kiba had started a pissing contest with a new kid, who apparently is the guy that showed up at the hot spring last week, to affirm his so called alpha status. It was no big deal until he insulted the boy's exgirlfriend by calling her a whore, and was thrown across the room with enough force to leave an imprint of his body in the chalkboard for his efforts. From what Iruka said it seems his exgirlfriend died recently, and they were very close."

At this point the meat and sake was delivered, and the other women placed their own orders. Kurenai had been deep in thought as the orders were placed waiting until the waitress left before speaking. "If that is the case then his reaction is understandable, and Kiba deserves what happened to him, and more." Laughing Anko set the now clean dango stick on her plate. "If I was in his shoes they're be cleaning up what was left of Kiba with a mop. Maybe you should hire one of the Nara to tutor him 'cause it sounds like he isn't that bright."

Hana had remained silent content to listen to her superiors talk so she could learn more about how to be a clan head, and how one should act when she noticed a couple entering. Her eyes widen in surprise before getting the group's attention, and pointing to the entrance. "Well well. It looks like that boy liked what he saw, and decided to get a better look at her naked and wet." Anko laughed seeing Naruto and Tenten still holding hands. Kurenai elbowed Anko in the ribs as Tsume motioned the teens to join them. Naruto looked at Tenten to see if it was ok before heading over to the table the 4 women were at. Each one took appraisal of Naruto taking note of everything from his body language to him pulling out the chair for Tenten before sitting down himself. After introductions they refrained from comment as the newcomers placed orders of their own. While the others were assessing what they had seen Anko made the first comment.

"I take it you like what you saw so well you had to get a better look huh?" She said with a lecherous smirk causing Tenten to blush deeply.

"What do you mean, Anko-san?" Naruto asked in confusion as he didn't remember seeing them at the hot spring. Anko was about to comment before Kurenai stomped on her foot, and receiving a glare in return.

"Please excuse her, Naruto-san. It is good to see your injuries have healed." Standing up she bowed deeply from the waist at Naruto. "I wish to apologize on behalf of the Inuzuka clan about my son Kiba's behavior today. I promise you he will be appropriately punished for his actions."

Naruto's jaw clenched at the reminder of the things Kiba had said before he schooled his features. "It is alright, Tsume-san, but if it happens again I can promise you that his career as a shinobi will end. I will not allow anyone to insult the woman who held my heart so completely without reprisal."

The adults exchanged a look before Tsume replied. "I hope it doesn't come to that, but I can understand with how recently your girlfriend died."

Sighing sadly Naruto looked down and too the side. "She is not dead. At least I don't think she is."

Tenten not having heard what happened looked at Naruto with concern, and placed her hand on his. "What happened then, Naruto? If she's not dead then why did you two break up?"

Naruto stayed silent as several emotions played across his face. Finally he began telling them about Yuffie, the time they spent together, and how their love blossomed after the first time they made love. Over the half hour he spent talking his expression was one that spoke volumes about how much he truly loved her. When he got to the part about being hired to guard a merchant on his way to Calm he suddenly stopped talking and closed his eyes as if trying to hide from a great pain. Slowly he opened his eyes, and looked at each of the konoichi at the table his expression deadly serious.

"What I am about to tell you the Hokage has made a SS class secret punishable by death, and interrogation of yourselves, your families if you tell anyone this." Seeing their eyes widen in surprise the konoichi exchange a look that seemed as if they were carrying a conversation with their eyes. As the senior and ranking person there Tsume nodded for him to continue. Naruto took a moment to make sure no one could overhear before he went on with his cover story.

"As I already said my time there was limited, and set by specific guidelines. When I was sent to train a seal was placed on me by my father that would allow me to be summoned back under 1 of 2 conditions. When the threat had passed, and he summoned me back was the first one. The second was that my father had died, and I would be automatically summoned back at the age of 15. Since my 15th birthday was October 10th it's obvious which of conditions were met. Because of this I had no say in when I returned." Naruto's eyes turn hard as he takes a deep breath. "Not only did I lose the woman I love I also find out my parents died 15 years ago, but that my twin brother was murdered on our birthday 3 years ago." All the women had looks of sincere empathy Tenten had tears in her eyes. Leaning over she gave into her crying as she wrapped Naruto in a hug. It was several minutes before he spoke again as he spent the time calming her down, and drying her eyes. "The reason this is a SS secret is because of who my family is. My brother was Uzumaki Naruto. My mother Uzumaki Kushina." He paused here looking at each konoichi seriously before relating the part that made this so serious. "My father you all know. He was one of the greatest shinobi this village ever produced even though he was an orphan himself. He was Namikaze Minato. Yondaime Hokage. Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō."

The shock on each of their faces could not have been greater if the plates had stood up and started a conga line. Tenten looked like a pole axed ox at the news that the cute boy she had a crush on was the son of the man that had saved Konoha from the Kyuubi at the cost of his own life. Anko leaned back and whistled before downing an entire bottle of sake. She remembered the Yondaime from when she was a child, and had no clue he had any kids let alone a wife. She had also known Uzumaki from her time spent as one of the watchers the Sandaime Hokage had ordered to keep him safe. To learn that the boy that so many villagers had loathed was the son of the Yondaime brought a kind of self-loathing and anger that was only match by what she felt when she thought about Orochimaru. Kurenai didn't know what to think. Having learned about Uzumaki, and his being a Jinchiriki upon her recent promotion to jonin her shock was mostly due to finding out he had sealed the bijuu in his own son. Hana being a medic nin had learned of what the villagers had done to Uzumaki during her training at the hospital, and her sadness at injuries he had was compounded by who his father was. The anger she felt to Minato only increased the chaos of her current emotional state. Tsume's reaction was more schooled due to her position as Clan head and Council member, but it was no less shocked then the others. Even with the extra information she had as a council member she had not known that Minato was with anyone as he spent almost all his time as Hokage in the office dealing with village matters. Following Anko's queue she downed her sake and waved at the waitress to bring another round.

Naruto sat silently gauging their reactions, and let out a mental sigh at not seeing any of the hate he had grown so used to from the villagers as a child. Calmly he finished his food waiting for them to get the information settled in their own eyes. It was nearly 30 minutes, and 4 rounds of sake later before the first words were spoken.

Having settled her thoughts quickly thanks to the sake which also made her mind focus on the more intimate parts of his story Anko leaned forward showing a good bit of her barely concealed breasts. "So, gaki, do you have a photo of this girl? She must be a piece of work to catch your heart so fiercely."

Naruto reached into his pocket for the same photo he had shown Kiba earlier. He looked at it for a moment before placing it on the table for them to see. "That is Yuffie and I on our 9 week anniversary. We had gotten tickets to a major resort from our closest friends. A man I considered my uncle took this picture. It's a good thing he mailed it to us or Yuffie would have fed him his balls." He chuckled a little at the memory of how pissed she was that day, and how badly his back got clawed that night.

Seeing the girl in the photo Tenten couldn't help but feel a little despair. The picture showed a very pretty woman about Anko's age with a well toned body. 'At least I don't have to worry about my breasts being too small since her's are barely bigger than mine.' She thought trying to keep her hopes up.

As Anko whistled he returned the photo back to the safety of his pocket. "Damn! For a kid as young as you get a girl twice your age is something. Especially considering that she is such a nice piece of ass that I wouldn't mind having a go at her."

Seeing the look of Naruto's face darken to dangerous levels Kurenai elbowed Anko in the ribs, and nodded her head toward him. Glaring at Kurenai while rubbing her ribs she glances at Naruto. Her expression becomes sheepish at his expression, and she holds her hands out defensively. "Hey that was a compliment. I only meant she was very attractive, and that you are one lucky man to have a woman like that."

After a few minutes, and some pleading from Tenten Naruto finally relented with a sigh. "Just don't ever insult her again. Not only was she a beautiful woman, and a great konoichi. She was my heart, my best friend, and the greatest sensei I ever had." His eyes had changed as he spoke to seem as if he was looking far into the distance. "There isn't anything I would not have done to stay with her. I would have cut off my arm and laid it at her feet if she had asked it of me." His hands drew into fists as tears began to flow. "The time we spent together is irreplaceable, and I shall forever hold the memories of her in my heart even though I will never see her again." Feeling someone squeeze his hand he finally notices the tears wetting his cheeks. Drying his face he clears his throat as he pulls himself together. "I am sorry, but I need to call it a night." Pulling out his wallet he places enough ryo to cover his and Tenten's meal with a generous tip. "I had fun today, Tenten. I hope we can do this again some time. Hopefully with less tears." He finished softly before waving goodbye, and heading home.

The konoichi watched him leave each with their own thoughts. After a few minutes Tsume's cough brought them back to reality, and they talked with each other about what they had found out as well as the time Tenten had spent with Naruto. They talked until almost midnight before going their separate ways. As she headed home she resolved to talk with the Hokage tomorrow about this Naruto Strife, and see if what he said was true. Either way the situation was very serious, and if true must be handled delicately.

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Lit by the harsh glare of fluorescent lights, a woman dressed in black shorts, and t-shirt walked down a hospital hallway. Upon reaching her destination she hesitated with her hand mere inches from the doorknob. Sighing deeply she opened the door seeing a slightly younger woman on a hospital bed staring out of the window in the same way she had for almost a week. Moving to a chair by the bed the older woman started talking to her despite knowing she wouldn't get a response. As time went on her thoughts turned deeper inward, and very quickly went to her adopted son. Not even realizing her words began to match her thoughts she didn't notice the hospitalized woman turn to look at her. Several minutes later she was jerked from her thoughts as the woman on the bed spoke for the first time in nearly a week.

"Yuffie?" She asked not hoping she had heard her speak, and wasn't just deceiving herself with hope.

Yuffie looked at Tifa her eyes filled with pain, and haunted with a loss no woman should have to face for a moment before speaking in an almost dead tone of voice. "A son…Our son…I've betrayed him…"

Tifa was at a loss at what she was hearing. She leaned forward to look into Yuffie's eyes, and took her hand. "You can't blame yourself, Yuffie. I know how much you wanted to be a mother. The doctors say it the only way to have prevented it was to have been in the hospital from the end of your 1st trimester. I know the pain you're in. Naruto may not have come from my womb, but I loved him as if he had."

"If I hadn't pushed myself so far trying to find any trace of him our son would be alive right now." Yuffie said as silent tears slid down her face. "I killed our son, Tifa. I can't bare the shame. Even just thinking about Naruto coming back rips me apart on the inside. Part of me prays that he'll walk through that door any minute, but another wants nothing more than to curl up in a ball and die."

Tifa sighed pulling Yuffie into a tight hug as her own tears were let free. "Stop this, Yuffie. There is nothing wrong in searching for the man you love, and father of your child. You did the best you could. There is no shame in wanting you child to know his father. Do you really think Naruto would want to see you like this?" She said softly as the two women shared their grief. Tifa held Yuffie for a long time as the younger woman cried with all of her heart and soul. Eventually Yuffie had cried herself into unconsciousness prompting Tifa to gently lay her back in bed. She sat watching over her for a while before leaving to see Cloud. Tifa sighed deeply hoping Cloud was ok since he was taking Naruto's disappearance the hardest next to Yuffie.

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The week went by slowly except for the time Naruto spent with Tenten when she wasn't training or helping at her family's shop. He would train on the days she was busy, and sometimes stop by the Hokage's office to talk. When Kiba returned to class one Wednesday he glared at Naruto, but apologized for his actions as Tsume and Hana had made sure he would. On Friday Iruka announced that after lunch they would be doing the weekly sparing matches. Sasuke perked up at this eager to see how his skills would match up against Naruto's. Kiba thought this would be a great time for payback until he remembered the feel of Naruto's hand around his throat, and Tsume's warning which his dog Akamaru reiterated with a few barks. Naruto smiled in a way he had not since he had returned to Konoha causing Hinata to gasp slightly briefly thinking she had seen a ghost.

The way Naruto smiled reminded her so much of her childhood love. It had broken her hard when Uzumaki Naruto had been declared dead, and she had locked herself in her room crying for 2 weeks. When Naruto Strife had first entered the class she had thought her love had returned to her. He looked so much like him with the blond hair, and blue eyes. He even had the same first name. She had turned on her Byakugan, but there was none of the unique red chakra Naruto Uzumaki had. This combined with the fact he treated her as just another member of the class, and he spent so much time with Tenten caused her to feel the pain of his loss all over again. This time she was able to deal with it better thanks to the vow she made to herself at the end of the 2 weeks she spent locked in her room. She had vowed to honor Naruto's memory by becoming a stronger person. The kind of woman he would have been proud of. Seeing the fox-like grin on her classmate's face made her heart beat just as it had on Monday. Berating herself for wishful thinking she shook her head to clear her thoughts, and returned her attention to Iruka-sensei.

The rest of the morning went by quickly for those hesitant about the spars, and all too slowly for those eager for it. Though Naruto was eager for it he was having an internal debate about what he should do during the match based on what little he knew of his potential opponents. When the time finally came Naruto had decided to keep it to taijutsu as much as possible, and take it easy since it seemed there were few if any that could come close to matching him. This was not his ego talking just a simple statement of fact based on his training, as well as the types and number of fiends he had defeated. When they were all at the sparring grounds Iruka explained the rules while Mizuka, Iruka's assistant went down a list of names to make sure everyone was accounted for.

Most of the matches were uneventful, and were nothing more than a school yard brawl or a slap fest depending on who was in the match. When there were only a few left to go Naruto heard his name called as well as Sasuke's. As he took his position he watched his opponent sneer, and saunter over while his fan girls cheered him on. Naruto decided to play defensively to see just how good the supposed genius was. Iruka made sure both were ready before yelling "FIGHT!"

Sasuke attacked head on with a right hook that Naruto slapped aside making the punch go wide. Sasuke followed up with a sweep using his momentum to add speed and power to the attack. Naruto countered by jumping forward connecting with a knee to the underside of Sasuke's chin knocking him backward. As Sasuke stood up rubbing his chin Naruto took up his stance once more, and smirked making a gesture that said "Bring it." Sasuke's anger flared at being mocked by the new guy, and charged forward in a flurry of punches and kicks trying to get through his guard. This went on for several minutes with each attack being blocked, parried, or dodged. Sasuke's anger was steadily growing with each failed attack, and it finally got the better of him when Naruto landed a double palm thrust to the middle of his sternum.

Sasuke jumped back rubbing his chest as he raged in his mind. 'I am an Uchiha! This should not be happening! I am an elite, and this guy is a nobody. He should be begging for mercy right now!' He finally snapped when he saw Naruto snort, and decided to put the boy in his place. Running through the hand seals he had years of practice with, he inhaled deeply. When he completed the series of hand seals he exhaled shouting out the name of the technique not caring that there were classmates behind Naruto including some of his fan girls. "**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu."** Naruto couldn't believe that Sasuke would endanger his classmates like this, and ground his teeth preparing to beat some sense into this stuck up prick. As he quickly raised his hand palm out it began to glow with green chakra. Holding his palm toward the approaching fireball he yelled out "**WATER**" sending a blast of water at the fireball. Having braced himself he sprinted through the explosion of steam as the two attacks collided. Planting his right foot he forcefully threw his left side forward almost sliding as he put his left fist in the palm of his right hand. Using the full force of his momentum he thrust his left elbow forward adding the force from his right hand he hit Sasuke in the chest with an elbow uppercut thrust. The force of the blow threw Sasuke back causing him to cough up blood when he impacted the wall.

Seeing Sasuke's body drop to the ground with a limpness that only unconsciousness brings he turned looked around asking if everyone was ok while unnoticed steam rose off his body making some of the girls drool. Everyone that wasn't drooling just nodded in the affirmative too shocked to form words; even Sasuke's fan girls were unable to find their voices. After Iruka checked Sasuke over he ordered Mizuki to take him to the nurse's office. Iruka then strode over to Naruto his expression clearly not pleased.

"What was that, Naruto? A cracked sternum, 4 broken ribs, and a punctured lung is more than a bit excessive! Why did you feel the need to injure one of your classmates again?!" As Iruka opened his mouth to berate him further Naruto's eyes narrowed as he harshly cut in.

"Why?! He used a very dangerous jutsu that could severely injure or even killed several of the people here including his own fan girls! What I did was stop that from happening, and incapacitated him so he wouldn't endanger anyone else! If you had done your job like you were supposed to, Iruka-_sensei_, I wouldn't have needed to do that. If you want to place blame somewhere put it on yourself, Mizuki-sensei, and Sasuke where it belongs!" Naruto was all but shouting by the end of his tirade, and stood glaring at Iruka before heading inside. Iruka stared at Naruto's back ashamed of himself because he knew he was right. After a moment he shook himself, and turned back to the remaining students. Seeing them shaken by what had happened he sighed, and told them to head back to class.

After class ended Naruto needed to clear his head. At first he just wandered around, but soon found himself wandering in the forest outside the city. Eventually he came across a huge fence surrounding trees larger then he thought possible. As he stood there in awe of them he was unaware of someone appearing behind him.

"Impressive isn't it, gaki?" The sultry voice inquired.

Turning around Naruto was surprised to see Anko standing there. Idly he noticed she wasn't wearing a bra under her mesh shirt today before he was able to meet her eyes. "Yes they are. I can't even imagine how old they have to be to grow to that size. Is the fence there to protect them?"

Seeing him having to tear his eyes off of her breasts she smirked, and then outright laughed at his question. "No the fence is there to keep things from getting out not in. This is training ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death. It is the single most dangerous place in all of Konoha, and my little playpen. Now that you know where you are tell me what you're doing here."

Naruto told her about the spar with Sasuke, and how he had gone off on Iruka before wondering here lost in thought. As he spoke there were several times he had to tear his eyes away from Anko's assets which only made her smirk grow. After the 3rd time she moved her body in alluring ways occasionally causing Naruto to see more than just a little of her ample breasts. From there the conversation went into greater detail about the Forest of Death until Naruto said that it sounded a lot like where he spent a lot of time training.

Hearing this Anko laughed before leaning forward causing her trench coat to hang open slightly. "So you think you can handle it in there, gaki? Why don't we see if you can, or if your sword is just overcompensating for something?" Waving him to follow she headed to the closest gate, and walked with Naruto into the forest after relocking the gate. Anko lead him deeper into the forest showing him some of the more deadly flora and fauna describing each in detail. When they reached a well shaded clearing in the C ranked section of Training Ground 44 she signaled a stop, and sat down with her back against a tree. Initially she was going to use him as cannon fodder for her humor, but decided to find out more about this boy when she could feel not just see that he was angry, hurt, sad, and a myriad of other emotions. Despite all of that he was still very conscious of his surroundings, and had shown considerable skill for someone of his age.

"Take a load off, gaki. Now that I've shown you some of my personal playground why don't you tell me what's got you in such a funk?"

Naruto sat down a couple feet from her, and looked up at the sky in thought. After several minutes he decided to tell her some of his story as well as what happened at the academy. He knew he could trust her at least somewhat seeing as she was one of the few who had actually helped him escape from the mobs in his younger days even if she didn't know it had been him. At first his words came out angry as he told her about the spar, and how he had to protect his classmates from the Uchiha-teme. His words came slower, and the heat left his voice as he told how it had brought back memories of his training. The sadness and pain could be felt as he told her how those same memories were connected to his ex-girlfriend Yuffie.

Anko had been listening and cracking jokes until she heard the agony in his voice, and it struck a chord in her having felt much the same way years ago when she had been betrayed by Orochimaru. Oddly she found herself drawn to the boy when he began speaking of Yuffie, and could hear the love he still had for her clear in his voice despite the emotional pain he was in. As his story ended she found much to her surprise that she had tears running down her cheeks. Who would have thought that he would have been able to break through the mask she held so tightly just by hearing his story. She spent the next few minutes lost in thought of her own past with Orochimaru, how the village treated her after his betrayal, and of her only true friend. As she came back to reality she noticed Naruto looking at her, and was shocked to see that he was looking at her with similar pain, the same fragile hope she had when she first confided in Kurenai, and most of all understanding. Seeing him silently looking at her like this broke the last vestiges of her mask causing her to pull him into a hug burying his face into her chest telling him of her own past between sobs. Naruto simply listened to her gently rubbing her back, and shedding tears of his own as she told her story as a bond formed between them the likes of which can only be shared by people who have known such hardships as they have.

When the emotional storm had passed they continued to talk while sitting shoulder to shoulder under the massive tree. Though only words were exchanged they both felt lighter then they have in a long time. The sudden growling of a stomach broke into their conversation eliciting an apologetic smile from Naruto. "Sorry, Anko-chan. I guess we've been here longer then I thought."

Smiling Anko waved away the apology. "No need to be sorry." She looked up to check the position of the sun to check the time. "Why don't you join me for dinner? I'm supposed to meet a friend of mine soon. You're welcome to join us."

Naruto thought about it for a moment before answering. "Sure. I haven't enjoyed a meal with a good friend in a long time." Standing up he held his hand out to her to help her up. "Plus it's not every day I get asked to dinner by such a beautiful woman."

Laughing Anko took his hand before being pulled up. It only took them about 30 minutes to get to their destination. The doorman was going to turn Naruto away since the place was for upper echelon shinobi only, but let him in after a brief talk with Anko. Sitting at a table they continued to talk as they waited for Anko's friend to show up. Only 15 minutes had passed by the time an attractive woman standing 5'6 walked over to their table. She was a konoichi with long dark hair, and very unique eyes that are red in color, with an additional ring in them. She had make-up consisting of red lipstick and purple eye liner. Her outfit consisted of mesh armor, as well as a red blouse with only the right sleeve visible. Over this is what resembles bandages with a pattern on it similar to those of rose thorns. Her hands are also wrapped in bandages and she wears the Konoha forehead protector and regular shinobi sandals.

Anko greeted her closest friend, and introduced her and Naruto to each other. Soon their food arrived causing the conversation to slow a little. During the course of the meal Kurenai noticed something that totally surprised her. Anko was comfortable enough with the teen to actually let some of her real self show. Kurenai watched this wondering what had happened between the two since there was no sexual tension between them. She decided to find out just who this guy was, and to get some answers from Anko. They chatted some more after their meal, and much to Kurenai's shock she realized Anko hadn't had any sake the entire time. It was not long after this that Naruto stood up, and bid the ladies a good night. Before he left he placed a hand on Anko's shoulder and smiled at her as he gave it a reassuring squeeze. Kurenai's eyes widened as she saw Anko give him a real honest smile in return. She watched Naruto leave with narrowed eyes suspicious of someone getting so close to her friend in one day. She turned to look at Anko as the restaurant's door closed behind Naruto.

"Ok, Anko, spill it."

Several days had passed with Naruto spending most of his time outside the academy at training ground 44. This day he was heading to a weapon shop to replace the massive amount of kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags he had gone through. Pushing the door open he heard a chime from a bell at the top of the door. Looking around he is amazed at the amount of weapons on display. After a few minutes of walking around admiring the quality of the weapons he heard a man call out behind him.

"Sorry about the wait. Is there anything I can help you find?"

Naruto turned, and smiled at the man. "Yes, sir. I was hoping to stock up on some shinobi tools. Mostly kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags."

The man smiled as he walked over to the counter. "No worries, m'boy. We have everything a shinobi could need. Were you wanting anything specific or just the general tools of the trade?" As he spoke he pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil to make a list of the customer's needs.

Naruto smiled and pulled a list out of his pocket before handing it to the man. "Here's a list I made. On it are the specifics as well as some of the customized designs I would like made if possible."

The man looked over the list rubbing his chin in thought for a few minutes considering what would be needed to fill the order. "Hmmmm. This shouldn't be a problem all though it will take a while since we are understaffed at the moment, and have fallen behind on some of our orders. As things are now I should be able to have them ready in about 5 weeks."

Naruto crossed his arms while tapping his lips as he thought this over. While he was weighing the pros and cons of cost, time, and quality Tenten walked out of the back of the shop. Her hair was tied tightly back, and her skin was flushed from having just come from the forge. She was wearing tight leather pants, thick leather boots, and a sleeveless vest that was tied tightly across her chest causing her breasts to display an impressive amount of cleavage considering she was a B cup. Naruto's eyes tracked to her out of training not really registering what he saw. It was when he realized that his eyes were following a bead of sweat as it slid down between her breasts that he snapped back to reality with a startled exclamation. Tenten hadn't noticed him standing there was very surprised to see her crush in her family's store. It was then that she noticed where his eyes were aimed at, and quickly covered her chest with both arms blushing from embarrassment. The red of her face quickly drained away as she realized she looked a mess with her hair unkempt, and her body soaked with sweat.

'OH NO! What is he doing here?! He must think badly of me after seeing this. I can't believe I didn't notice him standing there! What am I going to do?!' Tenten thought wishing she had known Naruto would be coming over so she could have showered and dressed better. Her eyes darted around for something to clean up with until she heard Naruto's voice.

"I've gotta say, Ten-chan, sweaty is a good look for you." Even though he tried to keep his thoughts from getting too perverted he couldn't help grinning in appreciation of what he saw.

Tenten's eyes widened in shock at his words. She tried and failed to find something to say until she heard her father chuckle while rubbing the side of his nose.

"Ten-_chan_ huh?" he said with a smirk aimed at his daughter. "It seems my little tomboy has finally found her feminine side, or did somebody else _help_ you find it?"

At her father's words her face turned a deep crimson in both anger and embarrassment. "_DADDY!_" She yelled punching him in the arm. "It's not like that! Naruto-kun is just a friend!"

"Naruto-_kun_ must be a very good friend then." He said continuing to tease his daughter. Taking a glance at Naruto he sees him smiling at Tenten with an admiring look, and decides to make one last jab. "Despite her masculine habits she is still a girl. Considering that I'll give you some advice. Take it slow, be gentle, and don't forget to use protection."

Tenten looked at her father in total shock sputtering at the sexual context of his words. Naruto jerked looking carefully at Tenten's dad wondering if he should run until he saw the mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"No need to worry about that. I know just how to make sure she is always _more_ than satisfied with our time together." Naruto said this with an eyebrow raised, and a voice that was almost a purr.

At this Tenten just stared at Naruto with an expression that said she couldn't be more stunned if Gai had hit her in the head with a mace while he had 5 of the Gates open. Her jaw was hanging open as her mind replayed what he said, and to her his voice sounded like the promise of silk sliding across bare skin. This proved to be too much for both of the men, and at almost the same time they erupted in laughter. Tenten looked between the two for a moment before realization dawned upon her slowly rebooting mind. As she finally processed that they had been teasing her she started to growl in anger. Both men raised their hands defensively as they managed to gain control of themselves.

"Sorry, Ten-chan, you just looked so cute like that I couldn't help myself. How about I make it up to you, and take you out to dinner my treat?"

Tenten crossed her arms in a huff not realizing that this only caused a more prominent display of her still sweaty breasts. She glared at both her father and Naruto for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. "I would take you up on that, Naruto-kun, but I have to help out here. We are way behind on filling orders. I've even asked Gai-sensei if I can have some time off to help out here more."

Naruto looked to her father as an idea came to him. "How about this? I take you out to dinner, and then I will help out here any way I can free of charge."

Tenten looked at her dad as he seemed to be scanning Naruto. After a moment he nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Even if you don't know anything about forging there is still a lot you can do around here, and if you do well enough I'll even give you a discount on the supplies you ordered."

Naruto smiled and held out his hand to seal the deal. "It sounds good to me. My name is Naruto Strife. It'll be a pleasure working with you, sir."

Tenten's father shook his hand glancing at his daughter. "I'm sure it is." He said with a smile. "I am Tenten's father. Roshi Hisagia. We'll talk more about the work after you two get back." He looked over at Tenten. "You should go get cleaned up and changed. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold wearing that out at night."

Tenten who still had her arms crossed looked down at what she was wearing, and realized that her clothes were almost like a second skin, and she was still sweaty. Blushing slightly she nodded and ran upstairs. Naruto and Roshi talked about what Naruto had ordered going into specific details for some things, and what they were going to be used for so they could be properly made. It was about a half hour later when Tenten came back down the stairs with her hair in the usual "panda" style. She was wearing a long Chinese style dress that had a slit on one side that reached to mid thigh. The pattern on the dress was of a cherry blossom tree spiraling upwards with many sakura petals seeming to float through the air.

Naruto whistled in appreciation of the site before chuckling. "Well there goes any chance of getting away with a cheap meal." Stepping forward he bowed to Tenten before kissing her hand. "I am honored that you grace my presence with your beauty, Hime."

Tenten blushed at his actions, and especially his use of suffix. Smiling she held her arm out to Naruto. "Shall we?" She asked before he took her arm, and they headed towards the door. Before the door close however Roshi called out to them. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Chuckling to himself he shook his head. "Ahh to be young again." Picking up the notes he had taken from Naruto he headed back to the forge to continue his work.

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Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his office looking at the two in front of him. It had been 3 weeks since the reports started coming in about loud noise coming from training ground 44. At first he dismissed it as some jonins getting over enthusiastic with their training. The reports kept getting worse until he finally had to send a squad of ANBU to investigate after an enormous explosion that could be felt in the Hokage's tower. The report that his fingers were tapping now stated that when the ANBU arrived they saw massive destruction covering nearly a ¼ mile with Anko, and Naruto standing in the middle of the smoking devastation. What disturbed him the most was how the report stated that Naruto and Anko were making out, and well on their way to doing things someone who had yet to graduate the academy should not be doing. Sarutobi sighed knowing there wasn't really anything he could do to stop them and truth be told he wasn't inclined to considering that they both deserved to have someone in their lives that cared for them the way they apparently did for each other. Shaking his head dismissively he took a long draw from his pipe before speaking.

"Do you care to explain why you felt the need to obliterate a large section of one of the training grounds?"

Anko and Naruto shared a sheepishly mischievous grin with Naruto scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, Jiji. I guess we got a bit carried away while playing with the spiders."

The Hokage cocked an eyebrow, and sighed wishing he had put a stop to two of the most volatile ninjas in the village training together when he first heard of it. At the time he was too distracted from learning that Naruto had told some of the konoichi he was Minato's son, and let it slide. "I'm too old for this shit." He muttered to himself wishing that Jiraiya or Tsunade were here so he could foist the Hokage position onto them. Sighing he watched the two as he tried to think of a way to limit the destruction they would cause thanking Kami that Naruto's abilities were bloodline. Just the thought of Anko with that kind of destructive capability nearly caused him to have a stroke. Lifting up the report he addressed the two obviously unrepentant people before him.

"Since this happened at a training ground, and according to the report you wiped out at least 1 nest of the spiders I won't officially reprimand you." Seeing them grin he narrowed his eyes, and made his voice stern. "BUT. If I ever hear of either of you causing anything more than C rank damage like this again I will put you both on sewer duty for the next year, and make it so the only missions you can do involve catching Tora. Do I make myself clear?" The question was asked with a large amount of killing intent, and a voice that conveyed the authority of Hokage. Seeing that they both understood he nodded to himself, and waved a dismissal before glaring at the bane of his time as Hokage. Paperwork.

Stopping in the doorway Naruto turned to look at the Hokage with a curious expression on his face. "Hey, Jiji, why don't you use a clone to help with the paperwork? Is there a law against it or something?"

The man who had the nickname "The Professor" stared at the boy in shock wondering why he hadn't thought of it earlier, and numbly shock his head to clear his head. "Naruto come here." He said as he reached into a drawer pulling out pen and paper. After writing on it he handed it to Naruto. "Take this to the mission office. If they have any problems with it tell them to contact me."

Naruto stared at the paper in surprise for it was a mission completion form for an S rank mission with classified details bearing the Hokage's signature and stamp at the bottom. He looked over to the old man who just shook his head as if to say "Don't ask." Naruto shrugged before closing the door behind him as he left. Sarutobi glared at the stacks of paperwork on his desk for a moment before grinning evilly as he started to make hand seals. "I've got you now." He said as several Kage Bunshin appeared, and immediately got to work.

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As the setting sun covered Konoha in gold, red, purple, and grey shadows Naruto was sitting on top of the Hokage monument. His sword was stabbed into the ground a few feet away while he sat at the edge with one leg hanging over. It was quiet and very very peaceful here, and Naruto needed the solitude to help him think. Naruto still had not come to a decision about what he and the Sandaime had talk about when he had first arrived. He knew he had to make a choice before team placements, and even though he was tempted to say yes just to spite the council he knew doing that would be a long term mistake. Soon his thoughts went back to the time he spent on Gaia, and began to relive his memories of Yuffie.

Tenten always loved the site of Konoha as the sun set. That is why she would watch from her favorite spot whenever she got the chance. As she made her way there along the trail her thoughts turned to how Naruto had helped at her family shop. His help had been invaluable over the last few weeks, and had not only allowed her father to catch up on orders, but to actually get ahead of schedule. This soon led her to picture a bare chest Naruto pumping the bellows of the forge as sweat rolled down his well muscled body. A few minutes passed as she saw the play of muscles under his heat touched skin, and how his arms flexed as he beat the heated metal looking like a god. She was rudely brought back to reality as she stubbed her toe on a rock. Biting back a yelp of pain she slapped her cheeks to rid herself of the image, and walked the last few yards to the tree line.

After walking a few feet passed the last tree she came to a dead stop, her feet seemingly rooted in place by the scene in front of her. From her vantage point Naruto seemed to be enveloped in a halo of light with his hair practically glowing causing her heart to race at how gorgeous he looked. She stood like this for several minutes not even noticing the increasing wetness between her legs so enraptured by what to her was a scene of Naruto being blessed by Kami herself. A small bit of drool escaped her mouth as she watched the last rays of light seem to caress his face. In a daze Tenten slowly walked over to Naruto slowly sitting next to him, and laid her head on his shoulder. Naruto was so lost in his thoughts about his past that they evoked near physical sensations in his mind. Unconsciously his arm slipped around Tenten's waist pulling her tightly to his side. Blushing Tenten looked up at Naruto only seeing the side of his face. With a slowness that was born of her mind processing not only what she was seeing, but the numerous emotions she was simultaneously feeling her hand moved to his cheek turning his head to her as she leaned up to kiss him. So deep had his thoughts swallowed him he mistook Tenten for Yuffie, and returned her kiss with the same feeling that those cherished memories held. A soft green glow enveloped the two before they slowly started to rise up until they were a few inches above the ground. As the kiss went on the passion in it rose as well. While Naruto tightened his grip pulling her tightly to him Tenten's arms were around his shoulders with one hand slipping through his hair.

The firm grip and tugging on his hair brought Naruto out of memories causing him to blink in surprise breaking the kiss. "Ten-chan?" He said as his mind struggled to clear the fugue state it was in. At the sound of his voice the fog covering her mind cleared, and she quickly took stock of the situation. Her eyes widened in shock at floating in the air when the memory of the last few moments sped through her head. Her face turned flushed in embarrassment, and she acted on instinct slapping him across the face causing the minor float spell to be dispelled. When their feet touched the ground Tenten backed away a few feet trying to stabilize the chaotic mess that passed for her mind and heart, while Naruto stood looking at her in total confusion as to what was going on.

At a loss as to what was going on and why Tenten had slapped him he noticed her face was red, and she was fidgeting nervously. He took a step forward confusion and concern warring on his face. Tenten took a few hurried steps back shaking her head wanting to keep her distance until she figured out what was going on with herself. Naruto dropped his hand to his side hurt plain on his face. Sighing he grabbed his sword, and placed it on his back before walking over to the edge above the Yondaime's head. He turned to look at her as the last rays of the sun fell beyond the horizon. They stayed silent looking at each other as the sky went from red to purple with the edge of night fast sweeping over the landscape. Taking a deep breath he spoke with sorrow in his voice. "Ten-chan…. I'm sorry." With that said he launched himself of the cliff in the direction of his apartment.

Gasping in shock she ran to the cliff only to see a soft green light briefly surround Naruto as he neared the ground. She dropped to her knees as she watched him land with the softness of a feather before he went rooftop to rooftop speeding his way home. Tenten sat there for over an hour as night settled over the village deep in thought as she tried to understand what had happened as well as how she truly felt about Naruto. 'Did he know he was kissing me?' She asked herself unsure what he meant by the questioning tone of voice he had used when he broke the kiss. 'Just what are my feelings about him?' She thought to herself not knowing if what she felt was, love, lust, or something else entirely. Finally sighing she picked herself up her mind still a jumbled mess. On her way home she considered who she would be able to talk about this with quickly realizing she didn't really have anyone she was comfortable discussing this with. She racked her brain the whole way home, and even into her bedroom unable to come up with an answer. As she pulled the blanket over herself she decided to see if Gai-sensei knew of anyone that she could talk to about "Female issues", and fell into a depressed sleep.

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As graduation approached Naruto's time was spent mostly training with Anko, and Tenten, and helping at Tenten's family shop. Things had been awkward between him and Tenten for nearly a week by this point which is why on this Sunday morning just after sunrise, Naruto could be found heading to Anko's apartment. He was headed there to see if she wanted to train with him in the Forest of Death or maybe even pull a prank or two. Naruto knocked on the door several times before the door finally opened. To his great surprise there stood Anko with her hair down showing that it fell to the middle of her shoulder blades. Naruto was bug eyed as he watched her rub her eyes wearing only a red lace g-string. Anko smiled as she stretched her eyes still fogged over with sleep and sake before jumping on Naruto, and wrapping her arms and legs around him as his back hit the railing with a thud.

"Mmmm, Naru-kun, come back to bed." She said as she nuzzled his neck thinking she was still dreaming.

Naruto sighed having smelled the remnants of sake on her. Leaning back he moved his hands to her ass to make sure she didn't fall before heading inside Anko's apartment. Quietly he carried her back to her bed, and tucked her in as he thought about what to do since training was out. Resigning himself to this he decided to let Kurenai know about Anko's situation before grabbing something to eat. He kissed her forehead before creeping back out careful not to make any noise locking the door behind him as he left.

Ino was heading back to her family's flower shop after delivering some flowers a customer had ordered. She was grumbling to herself about being up and about this early in the morning when she heard a loud thump. Looking around she spotted Naruto with a woman she recognized from the times her father had brought her with him to ANBU's I&T division where he worked. Her jaw dropped when she saw the woman's arms and legs wrapped around him seemingly naked. She was stunned that one of her fellow students from the academy, or anyone for that matter, was that close to the "Psycho Snake Bitch" as she called Anko. She stood there in shock watching the naked woman nuzzle Naruto's neck before he grabbed her ass and carried her inside. She snapped out of it when the door shut, and immediately knew she had to tell Sakura, and spread the news along the gossip hotline. She took a moment to consult the mental map she had of Konoha before running off at such speed that she left not only a dust trail, but caused a turbulent wind to follow her passing. If she would have stayed another minute she would have seen Naruto walk back out and lock the door behind him. Unfortunately for Naruto that since it was Saturday the entire town would have heard about this by Monday, and as with all gossip the tale only grew with each telling.

Kakashi as normal was walking down the road to the memorial stone with his face buried in the infamous orange book he always had with him. Things were going calmly for the lazy elite jonin until he glanced up at the sound of someone knocking on a door. He took a moment to study the young man with a zanbato style sword at what he knew to be one Mitirashi Anko's apartment. His one visible eye widened in surprise seeing the delicious looking woman open the door in what amounted to about 2 square inches of cloth on her body. Eye smiling he put his orange book away, and began taking notes as she jumped onto the young man. As he scribbled into his notepad he was giggling perversely wondering if Jiraiya-sama would use this in his next book. He was still eye smiling as the door shut. He finished what he was writing before taking out the orange book, and continuing to the memorial stone. Suddenly he was thrown into a wall dazing him slightly. After shaking his head to reorient himself he wondered what had hit him before he broke down crying at the sight of the now shredded pages of his precious book fluttering through the air. Tears streaming down his face he picked up the tattered remains of the cover holding it to his chest as one would do with a loved one that had just breathed their last breath. Throwing his head back he screamed in agony. "**WWWHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYY!"**

Ino's lack of restraint where information that could be considered "juicy" was the reason Naruto was now being glared at by most of the boys in his class. This wouldn't be so bad if 1/3 of the girls were looking at him with either an expression of desire or disgust. Naruto could only look around in confusion since he had no idea what was the current main dish of the rumor mill. This had been going on for 10 minutes when he heard a familiar laugh coming from the hallway that made him wonder what Anko was doing at the academy. The hushed conversations ended as the door slid open, and a woman in her mid 20's wearing a purple skirt, a mesh body suit that showed she didn't have a bra on, and a trench coat that barely stopped her from being arrested for public indecency. Looking around the class as she stood in front of the desk she wore an evil smirk before walking up to Naruto with a sway in her hips that had the adolescent boys hypnotized. Anko slipped her arms around Naruto, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Naru-_kuuuun,_ you're so mean." She said with a pout. "Why didn't you wake me this morning?" Glancing around she was glad to see her little game was having an effect, and that the class had heard the rumors.

Meanwhile Naruto just sighed, and spoke with an even voice. "Anko-chan, you do realize we are in public right?"

Anko purred tracing his collarbone with the nail of her index finger. "You didn't seem to mind last time, and anyway what happened to the breakfast you promised me?" She asked with a perfect imitation on a disappointed lover.

"I'm sorry, Anko-chan, but you were passed out, and I couldn't wake you in time to cook breakfast, and get to class on time." Naruto shook his head. "What I want to know is where you get all that stamina from. I thought you'd have called it quits after 6 hours. How was I to know you'd last more than 13 hours?" Naruto said in reference to a bet they had about who would last longer fighting against the spiders in the Forest of Death.

The class at this point was divided between shock, awe, jealousy, and disgust at this point. The girls that weren't Sasuke fan girls were looking at Anko with jealously as they tried to stop the nosebleeds they were getting from the mental images. Most of the guys were looking at Naruto like they had just found their hero, this group included Kiba who looked at Naruto with newfound respect. Shikamaru had raised his head up watching the display in curiosity before shaking his head and muttering "Fuzakennayo", and going back to sleep. Ino did not bother to hide the blood that dripped from both nostrils as she was lost in a daydream of 13 hours with Naruto. As they continued to watch the events unfold not knowing it was an act by either party Naruto's reputation very quickly gained more than just a few points with his classmates, as well as several more fan girls.

Kurenai had been watching this for a couple minutes amused at the students' reactions. Deciding to play along to see how well they dealt with the unexpected she glided into the room using the seduction techniques all konoichi learn by the time they reach jonin rank. "The only reason she lasted 13 hours is because we took turns, Naruto-kun." The red eyed konoichi said with a smile as she licked her lips. Dead silence could be heard in the class as they tried to process what they were hearing now. Hinata was shocked to hear Kurenai say this as she had thought that a relationship was starting between Kurenai, and the Hokage's son Asuma. "Wh…what about Asuma-san?" The girl asked starting to wonder if this really was the same jonin that had been hired as her chaperone outside of the Hyuuga clan compound.

Kurenai's face took on a dreamy look as she spoke in a husky voice. "He can't use his hands the way Naruto-kun can." After a few minutes of perverted daydreams Ino remembers something one of the gossip circle had told her. Realizing this would be a golden opportunity she did not let it pass. "How big is the dragon?" Anko smirked before nodding her head. "Let's just say the little thing is awe inspiring." She said still playing "Guess the truth behind the innuendo".

Curious Hinata activated her Byakugan only to see a dragon covering about ½ of Naruto's back that had so much detail on it that it almost seemed real. "You call that little?!" The heiress exclaimed in surprise not realizing just yet that everyone in class had heard her until she heard Kurenai giggle, and saw Anko grinning like the cat that got the canary. She blushed deeper then she had before her childhood crush died then promptly fainted. Ino's reaction to hearing this was to nosebleed with such force she was launched backward into the wall.

Suddenly some killer intent was felt from the front of the class drawing everyone's attention to the most feared man in Konoha, one Ibiki Morino. Looking at Anko with an eyebrow raised before sighing. "Don't you have some prisoners to play with, Anko?"

Said woman pouted as her boss at the interrogation and torture division put a stop to her fun. "You're no fun." What she did next had 2 reasons behind it. The first reason being that she enjoyed messing with people very much. The second was because over the time she had spent with Naruto she had truly become attracted to him. Slowly she ran her hand over Naruto's chest while she caressed the outer edge of his ear with her tongue. Standing up slowly she smiled seductively. "I'll see you later Naru-kun." Anko said huskily before walking with a sway in her hips that promised untold delights.

Naruto watched her leave thinking about his and Anko's relationship, and about Yuffie. Deciding now was not the time to think about such things he shook his head to clear his thoughts before speaking. "Nai-chan, I'm a little disappointed in you. You should know how to keep secrets better." Naruto sighed having wanted to keep their training in the Forest of Death a secret.

Kurenai pouted before putting a serious look on her face. Before she could speak Ibiki took control of the class. "Enough of the games now settle down." He said with enough killer intent to cause the class to obey instantly. Satisfied at the reaction he wrote his and Kurenai's names on the chalkboard before facing the class again. "I am Morino Ibiki, and this is Yuuhi Kurenai. We will be teaching this class since Iruka-san, and Mizuki-san have things to take care of." Ibiki directed his gaze to Naruto before speaking in an even tone. "You and I will talk after class, Naruto-san. Anko's behavior has been….interesting of late."

Several hours, and an odd conversation with Ibiki later Naruto was deep in thought about what Ibiki had said. Abruptly his train of thought was shattered as Tenten yelled a greeting to him. Seeing her in an almost jubilant mood Naruto couldn't help, but smile at his friend hoping that things were back to normal between them. Waving a greeting as he walked over he chuckled lightly seeing her bouncing on her toes. "What's got you in such a good mood, Ten-chan?"

Tenten's emotional turmoil had lessened somewhat since their kiss, but when she heard the academy students talking about what had happened in class with Anko and Kurenai threw them completely out of whack. Unconsciously she had started bouncing on her toes to burn off the excess energy, and slowly turned to Naruto when he spoke. Seeing the cause of her discomfort grinning as if he didn't have a care in the world sent her temper to heights unknown to her before. In a flash she had grabbed a scroll, and sent every kunai and shuriken it contained at Naruto pinning him to the wall.

"Wha….." Naruto started to say before he saw Tenten bearing down at him with what he swore was an Oni over her shoulder. He started to swallow when suddenly his sweat froze on his skin as she summoned a halberd with a huge axe blade positioning it uncomfortably close to a very sensitive area. Tenten leaned forward slightly causing the wood beneath Naruto to groan in protest.

"What is this I hear about you sleeping around with women over twice your age in public, and bragging about having sex with them for over 13 hours?" She said in a disconcertingly quite voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't slept with anyone besides Yuffie."

"Really? Then why are the students talking about 2 women showing up in class talking about it with one of them hanging off of you?" The wood gave another groan as Tenten brought the blade slightly higher cutting deeper into the wood between his legs.

Naruto swallowed hard sweat pouring off of him. "That was Kurenai and Anko. We were talking about a bet we had made as to whether or not they could out last me against the spiders in the Forest of Death." Naruto was praying for all he was worth that she believed him.

Tenten stared into his eyes, hers as hard as agates, for a long moment before slowly withdrawing her weapon. "I believe you, but if I catch you doing something perverted in public again you will wish I had only castrated you." She said with a growl. She took a deep breath to help calm herself, and ran her hand through her hair before turning to him with a smile. "I almost forgot. I have good news."

Still wary of her he was unsettled by the sudden change of mood. "Uhh what is it, Ten-chan?"

"They are all done! Father finished the last one this morning." She said grinning from ear to ear.

"Finally! I was starting to get worried that it would be after team placements before they were ready." He said with a grin to match her own.

"Come on!" she said as she grabbed his hand, forcing him to quicken his pace to keep up. In short order they were at Tenten's family weapon shop, and lead him to a room adjacent to the forge that was used to store the more important orders that were finished before delivery. Reluctantly she let go of his hand she unlocked the door, and gestured for him to follow. The room was of medium size with various shelves, and stands for holding every weapon imaginable. Some of the shelves had packed crates with labels ready for shipping. Along the walls were similar if larger crates and barrels some only partially filled showing the carefully packed weapons inside. Naruto followed Tenten over to a shelf that held the items he had specially commissioned, some he had even helped make during his time spent helping at the shop. Tenten picked up the weapons that were the last of the bunch to be created, and held them out for Naruto's inspection.

Gently he took them from her, and went through a brief kata with them to test their balance finding them just as perfectly crafted as he expected them to be. Carefully he wraps them in the case that was specially made to hold them before putting them in a storage seal on his left forearm. "They are definitely the work of a master. I have no doubt they will be well received by the Aburame. Now the only question is when to deliver them."

Tenten smiled her pride in her family's work clearly showing at the praise. "Actually I've already set up a meeting for tonight when father told me he was going to finish them this morning."

Naruto couldn't help but laugh as he envisioned how the next council meeting would go after this week was over. When the looks the civilian council would have on their faces entered his mind he lifted Tenten up spinning her around in mischievous glee causing her to laugh along with him. Tenten leaned against his chest when he finally set her down hiding the flush on her cheeks. The feel of his muscles under his shirt made her think about the strange feelings she had been having around him recently when her stomach growled reminding her that she had skipped lunch because of that morning's D rank mission. Backing away from him she blushed in embarrassment silently cursing the harridan that made the mission longer than it needed to be.

"I hope you haven't started getting any of those fangirl tendencies to diet, Ten-chan. You should know how unhealthy those things are." Naruto said with concern on his face. He hated fangirls, and would hate to see such a good friend turn into what was the shame of all konoichi.

The color on Tenten's face deepened from anger upon being compared to a fangirl. She hated fangirls even more then she did perverts, and considered Tsunade of the Sannin her idol. Growling she punched Naruto in the chest making him cough from the force of the blow. "That's what you get for being an asshole! I had to skip lunch because of the mission my team was on this morning. A civilian needed her barn repaired, and was not satisfied until everything was perfect." She said glaring at Naruto with her arms crossed.

Rubbing the spot she had hit he smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Ten-chan. With the number of fangirls this village has I was beginning to think it was infectious. Why don't we get something to eat before meeting with the Aburame?"

Tenten only slightly mollified nodded her grunt in acquiescence. "Fine, but you are buying. You owe me after that remark."

"Hai, hai. You pick the place, and don't worry about the cost. Consider it a form of apology." His thoughts went to what he would say to the clan heads over the next few days as Tenten locked up.


	3. Chapter 3

Two hours later they found themselves at the gates to the Aburame clan compound awaiting entrance. They did not have to wait long before being lead inside. Their guide offered them tea as they waited for the clan head who they were told would be there shortly. They past the time in idle chat until the Clan head appeared with one of Naruto's classmates much to his surprise. Standing up both Naruto and Tenten bowed to the man, and waited to return to their seats until the clan head gestured for them to do so.

"I am Shibi the head of the Aburame clan, and this is my son Shino whom I believe you already know from the academy." The clan leader said with the unemotional tone famously used by the Aburame.

Tenten and Naruto introduced themselves as well thanking Shibi for the hospitality. After spending 15 minutes on the required pleasantries Shibi decided it was time to get down to business. "I understand the reason you requested this meeting was to discuss something you thought would help to improve our clan techniques. I am interested on how you think this is possible considering you know now more than is publicly available just like with any clan."

Naruto took a deep breath before setting his tea down, and folding his hands on his lap. "I have already discussed my plans for reforming my clan in Konoha with Hokage-sama, and as I am the last of my line I will be under the CRA. With this being the case I want to wait until I have found a woman worthy of my heart and the position of wife of the clan head before I announce this to the council. Be this months or years away is not of concern right now. My purpose here is to try to strengthen inter-clan bonds in preparation for when I am ready to take the mantle of Clan Head. With that in mind I have commissioned these as a gesture of good will."

Naruto made a slight gesture to Tenten who picked up a wooden box, and brought it over to Shibi. She knelt down before opening the box to display what was inside. Shibi raised an eyebrow at this before picking up one of the tonfas for inspection. After a moment he handed it to Shino for him to size up as well. "These are fine weapons, Naruto-san, but how do you think these will improve my clan's combat ability?"

Naruto took a sip of tea before he answered. "As you have noticed these are not regular tonfas. These are a special design that Tenten, and myself have come up with, specifically with the Aburame in mind. It is common knowledge that the Aburame hold a special relationship to bugs, and use your own bodies to house their colonies. It is also common knowledge, though to a much lesser degree, that the weakness of your clan is in close combat. Taking those 2 things into consideration we have come up with this as a possible solution. Hopefully this is, but the first of many." Naruto had been keeping a close eye on Shibi in hopes of seeing a reaction that was favorable, and was not disappointed when he was given a nod to continue. "The principle is simple, Shibi-dono. The holes on the handle and ends of the tonfa are designed in such a way as to allow your bugs to travel through the tubes built into them. This serves 2 main purposes. The first being a solid melee capability both defensively, and offensively. As a man of your combat experience is well aware of when people are in melee combat there are many small details that are missed in the struggle for survival. With the combination of extended reach as well as the tubes built into the weapons it would allow your clan members to place your bugs directly on your opponent in strategic spots, as well as inflicting damage at the same time. If our understanding is correct this would also help to conserve chakra as well as cut down on the number of bugs lost in combat. I have checked the public records while researching this, and to be perfectly honest I was appalled at the mortality rate of an Aburame who has lost his bugs to an enemy's jutsus."

At this point Naruto let his words sink in as he slowly sipped his tea patiently waiting for Shibi to speak. In this silence Tenten moved back to her position next to Naruto, and gave him an encouraging smile. After a few minutes Shino handed the weapon back to his father who then placed it back within the box before closing it. Without taking his eyes from Naruto Shibi asked his son's opinion. "What is your input on this, Shino?"

"The possibilities of this cannot be denied. If this does prove to be as useful as promised it would greatly increase the clan's stature within Konoha as well as without. I would suggest having someone train with these weapons so that they can be tested in a combat environment where the results would be best displayed." Shino said in the usual emotionless monotone the Aburame were famous for.

Shibi listened stoically to his son before nodding with a minor crinkling of one corner of his mouth that showed he approved of what Shino said. "I agree with my son on this. There is great potential for this subject, but we will have to test it to see just how beneficial it truly is. If nothing else you have opened a new avenue of exploration to lessen our clan's greatest weakness. For this alone you have our appreciation and if this works out I can guarantee the full support of the Aburame clan to the Strife clan."

Naruto and Tenten shared a smile as they glanced at each other at this knowing the foundations of what Naruto had planned for the future was being laid. After a while spent discussing plans, and other weapon designs the pair excused themselves before being escorted out. They talked about how they were going to accomplish with the other clans what they had with the Aburame, as Naruto walked Tenten home. After bidding her good night he headed back to his place with a smile.

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Over the next 2 weeks Naruto and Tenten had meetings with several of the major clans of Konoha. Most of the meetings went well though some of the clan heads were a bit skeptical they still chose to cement a friendship between their clans and Naruto. He knew that things could have gone better, but since he refused to use his father as leverage the results were better than he had expected. Both Naruto and Tenten had been very busy discussing each meeting past, and the upcoming ones to get better results. They were so busy in fact that either had hardly any time to do anything else. This was especially true for Tenten who had to do missions and training with her genin team. She had been so busy in fact that it wasn't until they had finished their meetings with the clan heads that Tenten was able to talk with the woman Gai had told her about. She hated delaying the meeting this long, but it was necessary if she was going to help Naruto. Two days after the last meeting Gai had told her he had arranged a meeting for her with the woman, and she was to meet her at the Akimichi BBQ restaurant at 7pm. Although she was excited about finally being able to get the advice she sorely needed she was also very nervous about what the woman would say, and truly hoped she wouldn't make a fool of herself.

Tenten had arrived almost 30 minutes early, and spent most of the time fidgeting as she thought about what she was going to say. Tenten's version of fidgeting was not what most would think. Even though she was a rookie genin her skills had quickly earned her the title of "Meijin Taishou no Konoha", and as such her "fidgeting" involved sharp and pointy objects. It was while she was idly spinning a kunai in each hand when a woman sat down at her table.

"Hello, Tenten, I am Yuuhi Kurenai. Maito Gai said you had something important you needed to discuss with me concerning "Feminine Issues"?" She introduced herself with a smile.

Tenten slipped the kunai into her pouch as she smiled in return. "Yes, Kurenai-san, I have a problem that I was hoping you could help me with. I don't have anyone close to me that I felt I could talk with about this. That is why I asked Gai-sensei if he knew anyone that might be able to help." Tenten took a deep calming breath before continuing. "To be honest my problem is of a very personal issue, and I ask that what we are about to discuss stays between us. Some of what I will have to tell you to explain the situation involves secrets that do not belong to me. Those secrets belong to someone dear to me, and who in all honesty is at least high chunin level if not low jonin in skill. I have spared with him so I know firsthand that he could destroy me without breaking a sweat if he wanted to. I have also seen him holding his own against Mitirashi Anko, though I believe that they both were holding back quite a bit. I am not trying to threaten you, just make the situation clear should word of this get back to him."

Kurenai sat silently listening to Tenten as she spoke having a few ideas as to what this may be about, but not sure which if any were the case. Kurenai knew of several people she could be talking about, and was more than a little curious about who "he" was, as well as this secret Tenten was talking about. "You have my word as a jonin of Konoha that anything we discuss will not go beyond us without your express permission as long as it doesn't endanger the welfare of Konoha. Before we begin why don't we place our orders? Talking can make a person surprisingly hungry and thirsty."

Tenten sighed in relief upon hearing this glad that if the worst happened Naruto wouldn't hate her and he would still be her best friend. Smiling at Kurenai she waved one of the waiters over to place her order. Tenten waited patiently as Kurenai gave the waiter her order, and began telling Kurenai about the relationship her and Naruto had, as well certain incidents, and some things he said not once mentioning his name. Tenten only paused in her story to take a bite of food or take a drink. They were waiting for their dessert to arrive by the time she finished speaking ending on how Naruto was going to fall under the CRA, and what he had said about wanting a woman worthy of his heart and position as "Clan Mother".

A slight smile had appeared on Kurenai's lips as she figured out who Tenten had been talking about, and could tell that the girl really did care deeply for Naruto. She had listened to all she had to say growing more certain as the story unfolded. She even had to sigh wistfully at the romantic scene that had taken place on the Hokage Monument, and debated on telling the girl she should have seduced him instead of slapping him after the kiss. Saying she was surprised at what the two teens were doing with the clan heads was quite the understatement. There were people 3 times their age that couldn't play politics that well. She decided to stay quite slowly eating the strawberry parfait she had ordered while she chose her words carefully.

"I have to give you credit, Tenten. What you have told me is more than surprising, especially considering your age. I can very easily see you rising through the ranks very quickly, and maybe even ending up on the council when you choose to retire. You have a lot of potential to be one of the greatest konoichi Konoha has ever had between what you and Gai have told me." While she took the time to take another bite of her dessert Kurenai saw the girl beam at the praise. "On to the subject at hand though…. You say that you are unsure of how you feel towards Naruto? Yes I figured out who you were talking about. Anko is a very close friend of mine, and I know Naruto very well because of that. Watching you tonight, and hearing how you speak of him I have no doubt how you feel about him. You are in love with him. He is a good man, and a very talented one at that."

"Love? Are you sure? I mean it's just not some crush or hormonal thing? He is very handsome after all." Tenten asked her surprise, and nervousness at the implications plain to the seasoned konoichi.

Kurenai smiled, and nodded her head agreeing with the girl. "Yes he is very attractive, and if he was a few years older I might consider him a prospective suitor for myself. To be frank, Tenten, I have no doubt that you love him. It's obvious by the tone of your voice, the look in your eyes, and the way your body moves when you talk about him. It also helps that he has such a great body." Kurenai couldn't help but giggle at the blush on Tenten's face when she mentioned Naruto's body. "Naruto has a lot of potential, and will go far as a shinobi, and a man. He has a loving heart, but it has been wounded deeply by what has happened. It may take a while for him to truly open his heart again, but when he finally does accept another woman into his heart he will do so with every fiber of his being. You should tell him how you feel. Don't press the issue though. Tell him, and then let him make the next move. Just don't hurt him. He trusts you. After all how many men do you know that would be pinned to a wall with kunai and shuriken, and still smile like he did with you afterward."

Tenten's eyes opened wide at this her face reddening in embarrassment. "H... How do you know about that?"

Kurenai laughed at the girl's discomfort. "Anko and I saw the whole thing. We were on the roof watching the students. I am going to be a jonin sensei after graduation, and Anko decided to accompany me when I told her I wanted to see what I was in for. There is a lot of talent in this graduating class, but that is only natural seeing as 7 future clan heads are in the same class. Although there are a few I seriously hope I don't get stuck with."

Tenten nodded as Kurenai spoke having heard Naruto tell stories about some of the people in his class. "So… You think I should tell him I love him, but what if he doesn't feel the same? I don't want to ruin our friendship over this." Tenten began spinning a 6 pointed shuriken as she became nervous about Naruto's reaction to her declaration of the heart.

"Don't worry. Naruto would never end a friendship over something like this. If he does turn you down things may be uncomfortable between you for a while, but I don't think he will. From what you told me about that kiss he has at least some feelings for you. Just tell him, and try to take it slow. After all neither of you are ready to be parents yet."

"Parents! I…he…we…us…kids…" Tenten tried to speak unsuccessfully as thoughts of being a family with Naruto, and what their kids would be like ran through her head. She let out a loud breath calming herself in the process. "What I mean to say is that I wouldn't mind having his children some day, but not for a long time. I want to prove that not all konoichi are fangirls, and that women like Tsunade-sama are supposed to be the norm."

Kurenai was proud of the teen, and had to agree that fangirls gave konoichi a bad reputation, and sometimes wished she could kidnap them for Anko and Ibiki to play with. As she finished her dessert she decided to play an active role in aiding Tenten get Naruto. She sat silently with her eyes closed planning how to go about this her smile growing devious as the pieces fell into place. When she opened her eyes there was an intensity there that made Tenten nervous. "With how hurt his heart is because of Yuffie you will have to be very careful about how you go about this, but I have an idea. Here's what you do….." Kurenai leaned forward laying out the plan in detail. Tenten wondered if she could do what she was hearing, but then the image of what would happen if she succeeded. Seeing the mental imagery solidified her determination, and started making a list of things she would need when the time came to implement "Operation: Bag the Hunk".

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Naruto woke up early for today was graduation day. He slowly stretched before heading to the shower. After taking care of his hygienic needs he went to the kitchen for a breakfast of sausage, eggs, and toast. After finishing his breakfast and cleaning the dishes he checked the clock seeing he had 2 hours before he had to be at the academy. He took his time getting ready, and for some reason decided to dress as if he had a mission. Over the next half hour he dressed and armed himself making sure everything was in its place. He wore black pants, black steel toe boots, a black half cape that draped from his waist a dark blue sleeveless shirt, black leather fingerless gloves with a metal plate on the back, and a piece of armor emblazoned with a fox head on his left shoulder. After checking himself in the mirror he picked his sword up from the corner it was laying in, and set it in position on his back with the handle over his right shoulder. As he headed to the door he picked up his sleek silver sunglasses, and put them on before opening the door. After locking up he placed his hand on the center of the door activating a security seal that placed a barrier effectively stopping anyone from entering. With his apartment secure he began walking leisurely toward the academy.

Naruto took his time getting to the academy, and even so still arrived over 20 minutes early. Seeing no one else in the class room yet he decided to claim a spot in the back. Leaning against the wall he looked out the window letting the memories of his time here play through his mind. Naruto stayed like this as the other students filed in, and took their seats. It was several minutes more before Iruka and Mizuki came in. Within short order they began calling names for the final round of testing. This did not take long as the testing consisted of demonstrating a kawarimi, a Bunshin, and a henge. Each test took 5-10 minutes each. Most of them passed the test returning to the room with their Hitai-ate proudly displayed while a few, mostly Uchiha fangirls returned without one. Naruto had been in the top 5 of the class since he had joined, and the results of his test showed this as he performed it flawlessly, and returned to the class with his Hitai-ate hanging from his belt. After the last few tests were taken Iruka and Mizuki came back into the class to announce the final grades with Uchiha Sasuke getting Rookie of the Year. With the last minute lectures done, and saying that those that passed were to report back at 10am for team placements on Monday they dismissed the class.

As Naruto was about to leave the room Mizuki called him back. "I'd like to talk to you about something, Naruto. Could you meet me on the roof in 15 minutes?"

Naruto didn't like the look in Mizuki's eyes, but was curious as to what this was about. "What is this about, Mizuki-sensei?"

"It's a private matter, Naruto. I'll explain on the roof. Ok?"

"Alright. I'll be on the roof in 15 minutes." Naruto walked to the roof, and took a seat on one of the benches to wait for Mizuki.

"Ah, Naruto, good to see you are here." Mizuki said as he walked onto the roof. He took a quick look around to make sure no one was near. "The reason I asked you here is because you have earned a chance at something that hasn't been offered in years."

Naruto didn't like how furtive Mizuki was acting, and narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses. "What opportunity is this, Mizuki-sensei, and why be so secretive about it?"

Mizuki smiled thinking he had the boy where he wanted him. "It is a secret because if it was known everyone that graduated would want to do it. This opportunity is only given to students that have shown a talent far beyond their peers. It is a chance to advance in rank to Chunin upon graduation. One final test of your skills, and you could skip all the D rank missions, and be placed on a team of equal rank. You would be doing C and B rank mission within a week along with a significant pay increase over someone of genin rank."

Naruto's head tilted slightly to the right as he examined Mizuki carefully trying to discern what he was planning. Naruto knew that Mizuki was lying about this so called "chunin test" having discussed the graduation at length with Saratobi, Kurenai, and Anko. He knew Saratobi would want to know what was going on so decided to play along. "That sounds very tempting. What do I have to do for this test?"

Mizuki had to restrain himself from rubbing his hands together. "It's very simple. All you have to do is get the Forbidden Scroll from the Hokage's office, and learn 1 jutsu from it. You will have until midnight to accomplish this. If you are successful you will be promoted to chunin tomorrow, but if you don't you'll remain a genin until you pass the bi-annual chunin exams which you won't be able to enter until you jonin sensei thinks your team is ready. So what do you say? Are you ready to be a chunin?"

Naruto didn't know what was going on, but if this involved the Forbidden Scroll he knew whatever Mizuki had planned wasn't good. Naruto crossed his arms, and leaned back thinking about how to play this out. After a moment he stood up turning to Mizuki. "I don't see any downside to this test. Either I pass and get chunin or I fail and things stay as they are now. I'll take the test, Mizuki-sensei."

Mizuki's smile grew as he pulled a piece of paper from a pocket of his vest. "Here is the location, and description of the Forbidden scroll. At the bottom you'll see directions to the place your are to meet me at midnight. There is also one last thing. Since this test is a secret you cannot tell anyone about it. If someone finds out you will automatically fail. Plan carefully, and I'll meet you in 7 hours. Good luck." Mizuki went back down into the building leaving Naruto on the roof.

Naruto stayed on the roof for several minutes to make sure Mizuki was well within the building before using shunshin to take himself to the Hokage tower. He walked through the building to the Hokage's office, and told the secretary he wished to speak with Saratobi about an important issue. She told Naruto to take a seat while she informed the Hokage. After a few minutes she came back out of the office, and gestured for him to enter. As he walked in and took a seat the secretary closed the door behind him leaving the two men alone.

"So, Naruto, What is this important issue you wish to speak with me about?" Saratobi said as he made a shadow clone to continue the paperwork while he moved to the couch for a more comfortable seat.

"You're not going to like this, Jiji. You might want to activate the privacy seals for what I have to say."

Saratobi took a drag off of his pipe as he noticed just how serious Naruto was being before going through the proper hand seals. After the slight glow that signified the seals' activation faded Naruto told Saratobi about what had happened with Mizuki after the final testing at the academy. The only sign that showed the old man didn't like what he heard was a slight tightening around his eyes. "I don't know what he has planned, but I think there is more to it than just getting his hands on the Forbidden Scroll. I think we should have ANBU capture him and take him to I&T for interrogation. I can only imagine what Anko would do to him after hearing he tried to involve me in this."

From what he had heard about how close Naruto and Anko had become he shuddered knowing that a team of medic-nin would have to be on standby just to keep him alive if she got a hold of him. "That's a good plan, but Mizuki has been a shinobi for over 20 years. Since he was so kind as to give us a forewarning of where and when he will be there I think we should use it to set a trap for him. I want you to come back here an hour after sunset. You should sneak in to keep up appearances since we don't know if Mizuki will be keeping an eye on you. Now why don't you go get something to eat? It'll be a long night, and we have much to do."

Naruto bowed to Saratobi acknowledging the orders. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

Before Naruto could leave Saratobi called out to him once more. "Naruto, tell my secretary that I wish to see her."

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In a clearing near the appointed time several ANBU, Anko, Saratobi, Ibiki, and several other jonin were hiding with the aid of Meisaigakure no Jutsu. Naruto was off to one side of the clearing near a small shack with the Forbidden Scroll unrolled. He had already sent several groups of clones to work on some jutsus he had found in the scroll that he thought would be useful. He had already gotten permission from the Hokage to do this. The jutsus his clones were working on were "Clone Explosion", "Shadow Shuriken", "Shadow Kunai", and "Rasengan". Saratobi had limited the number of jutsu he could take from the scroll to a maximum of 5, and Naruto was scanning through the Scroll for a 5th one as Mizuki had yet to show up. Naruto had gone over much of the scroll, and to be honest was very disgusted at some of the things in the scroll, and could very well understand why they were labeled as forbidden. Having reached the end of the list of A rank jutsu he started reading the S ranked ones. Within short order he began to contemplate talking with the Hokage about adding quarterly mental evaluations of all active shinobi. Near the end of the scroll he found a jutsu that intrigued him. It was similar to some of the Materia spells he had at his disposal, but had a greater adaptability. After looking it over for a few minutes he took out a scroll, and wrote down all the information on the jutsu known as "Creation Rebirth".

Naruto looked up at the moon and noted that it right around midnight and that Mizuki would be showing up any minute, so he rolled the scroll back up to where it only showed the first couple jutsu. After this was done he leaned back against the shack to meditate even though it looked like he was taking a nap. Several minutes later a snake hissed by his ear signaling that the prey was near. Sure enough the sound of Mizuki landing on a branch nearby a short time later.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. Have you learned a jutsu to pass the test for chunin yet?" Mizuki said as he dropped down from his position in the tree totally unaware that he was surrounded by some of the strongest shinobi and konoichi in Konoha.

Naruto slowly stood up and stretched acting as if he was waking up before turning to face Mizuki. "Hai, Mizuki-sensei, I have, but I do have a question though."

Mizuki walked closer smiling so as to keep the teenager at ease. "Go ahead, Naruto-kun. After your question though I'll need you to demonstrate what jutsu you learned. After all being a chunin is a serious thing, and I have to verify you did pass."

Naruto smiled in a way that Mizuki mistook to mean that he was happy to have passed the "test". "Why were you planning on betraying Konoha by stealing the Forbidden Scroll? After all there are many places that would welcome you with open arms for delivering it to them."

Mizuki's smile turned sinister as he let the mask slip while reaching for a fuma shuriken on his back. "It really doesn't matter, Naruto-kun, seeing as you won't leave this clearing alive!" He threw the huge bladed object at Naruto as he finished speaking.

In a flash Naruto had drawn his sword knocking the weapon aside with ease. "You should have known that wouldn't work on me, Mizuki-sensei. Have you really been paying attention to what goes on at the academy?" Naruto said nonchalantly holding his sword at the ready.

"I have, Naruto-kun. You are just a little boy with no knowledge or experience. I might have had something to worry about in a few years, but now you will never have a chance to know what it is like to be a man." Mizuki laughed as he drew out a kunai in each hand.

Seeing as how Mizuki was being so talkative Naruto decided to try to get him to talk before capturing him. "Boy? I'll have you know that before I came here I had a beautiful girlfriend that was _very_ limber." Naruto smirked lecherously as he continued. "The things she would do as we laid together at night we astounding."

Mizuki guffawed at this. "Really, Naruto-kun? I doubt that. There is no way a child like you could ever have enjoyed a woman's touch unless it was cheaply bought whore."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the insult to Yuffie, and began sliding slowly toward Mizuki wanting to remove some "Unnecessary parts" from the traitor before letting I&T have him. "Let me tell you a little about the love of my life that I will never see again." Naruto began describing Yuffie leaving almost nothing to the imagination even going on to say that her breasts were "well within the just right range. Not too big or small." By this point Naruto had covered half the distance to Mizuka who had only laughed harder and harder as Naruto spoke. Unfortunately for Mizuki this only caused the teen to grow more and more agitated, and missed a whispered word because of the sound of his own laughter.

Naruto tighten the grip on his sword before calling upon on the Materia spells he had learned from those he considered family. **"HASTE**" he said before he moved with all the speed he could muster, and ran at Mizuki sheathing his sword as he went. With a level of speed that would impress Maito Gai Naruto slammed his fist into Mizuki's gut with his right hand. As Mizuki was lifted off the branch from the impact Naruto grabbed the same branch with his left using the leverage to launch a vertical roundhouse that sent Mizuki to the ground. As he coughed up blood wondering where a mere academy student got such speed and strength Mizuki didn't have time to react as Naruto pushed off the branch to deliver a spinning elbow drop. Upon impact Mizuki screamed as he felt several ribs shatter puncturing his left lung. Slowly Naruto picked up Mizuki by his neck holding him a few inches off the ground. As he drew his other arm back to deliver a final blow he was called to a stop as the Hokage appeared next to him.

"Enough, Naruto. ANBU take him to holding cell, and have him looked at by a medic." Saratobi said with authority as he surveyed the damage Naruto inflicted in a few short seconds. "You did well, Naruto, and have heard the A rank pay for this mission. It is a shame he did not let more information out. It would have made interrogating him easier." Suddenly Saratobi raised an eyebrow as he saw an oddly subdued Anko walk towards them cupping her breasts. "Is something wrong, Anko?" He asked as she neared them.

When she was within a few feet of them she looked at Naruto with concern and surprisingly self doubt. She had heard the way he had spoken of Yuffie, and knew that even though Naruto wouldn't be able to see her again she still held sway over his heart. Hearing that in his voice even after all these months had made Anko realize that she truly cared for the handsome blonde, and wanted to be accepted into his heart. Slowly she opened her trench coat revealing he breasts to the object of her affection as she tried to put the mask of playful seductress back in place. "Naruto-kun…Do my breasts put me in the "just right" requirements?"

Naruto looked at Anko with a serious expression long enough for tears to build in Anko's eyes. When he saw this he turned to Saratobi his eyes asking for privacy. The Hokage nodded, and shunshined back to his office leaving them alone in the clearing. As the chakra signature faded away Naruto walked up to Anko, and gently placed his hands on the sides of her face. "Why don't we continue this conversation in private, Anko-chan?" He slid his left hand down her neck, along her collarbone, and traced a path between her breasts until his hand was over her heart. "Matters as important as this should not be exposed to needless rumor." Naruto removed his hands to form a shadow clone with excess chakra. When the clone poofed into existence it nodded to Naruto before heading out on its mission. Smiling softly at Anko he picked her up bridal style. "Come on, Anko-chan. We have a lot to talk about, and it's getting late." Naruto said before jumping into the trees taking Anko to her apartment.

When they arrived at her place he set her down on the couch, and poured Anko a glass of watered down sake for her nerves. Naruto and Anko talked for a couple hours, and when her tears came back he would hold her letting her open the emotional floodgate that she had kept close for many years. Around 2:30am he noticed she had stilled and was breathing relaxingly against his chest. Thinking she was asleep he carried her to her bed, and took off her trench coat and sandals before covering her with a blanket. As he stood back up he couldn't help but smile at how the moonlight accented her face. Softly so as not to wake her he brushed some stray hair out of her face, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. When he went to right himself he suddenly found his head gripped in Anko's hands. Moving his eyes to hers he couldn't help but see the silent plea within them.

"Naru-kun, please….stay." She said softly as her eyes and tone begged him for more than just his presence.

Seeing such potent emotions in her eyes, which was something he thought no one except possibly Kurenai had seen since Orochimaru's betrayal, he couldn't resist any longer.

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While Naruto took Anko home his clone made its way to Tenten's house. Seeing the lights off the clone climbed the wall to where a window for her bedroom was. Carefully he slipped inside so as not to wake anyone. Silently he went over to the bed to see Tenten lying on the bed in a halter top and panties with the covers hanging off the bed. Clone Naruto took a moment to appreciate the scene before him before gently shaking her shoulder softly calling out to her. "Ten-chan. Ten-chan, wake up."

Tenten slowly opened her eyes wondering why she was being woken up. "Naruto-kun? What is going on?" She asked as she sat up wiping sleep from her eyes.

Clone Naruto sat on the edge of the bed before he replied. "Something has come up, Ten-chan. We need to talk."

Not even realizing her lack of clothes Tenten moved to sit "Indian style" on her bed at the serious tone. "What happened that is so important that it couldn't wait until morning? Did something happen with one of the clans, Naruto-kun?"

Clone Naruto ran a hand through his hair letting out a breath. "I'm not Naruto. I am a shadow clone, and as for what happened… Well Boss just got done with an A ranked mission from the Hokage himself."

Tenten listened to the clone her eyes wide that one of the senseis at the academy was a traitor. "Boss wanted you to know that he might be busy with the Hokage for the next few days depending on what Ibiki, Anko, and Inoichi are able to get from Mizuki-teme." Clone Naruto placed his hand on top of Tenten's giving it a gentle squeeze. "I may be a clone, but I am a perfect copy of Boss, and I can honestly say that having you upset is something we definitely don't want."

Tenten had been thinking about the implications of Mizuki being a traitor, and if he had recruited anyone else from the academy when she felt Naruto's hand on hers. She stared at the hand as she heard what the clone said which caused her thoughts to follow a different track. Slowly her eyes followed the lines of his arm up to his face. She looked at him for a long moment thinking to herself. 'I know he cares for me, but in what way? The clone said he is a perfect copy. Maybe I can find out from him or at the least practice for when I talk with the real Naruto-kun.' Fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view Tenten did not know about the information aspect of shadow clones, and started something she might not have otherwise.

"Naruto-kun I need to talk with you about something." She said with a slight blush as she thought about where this might lead with Naruto.

"You can talk with me about anything, Ten-chan. You should know that by now." The clone said wondering what the redness of her face meant.

Tenten took a deep breath before starting. "First off I want to apologize for being so distant lately. I've had a lot on my mind over the last month. I have done a lot of thinking, and have come to a conclusion. Please wait till I finish before saying anything. I might lose my courage if you interrupt." Seeing the clone nod she steeled herself for what she was going to say next. "Naruto-kun, I like you. I like you so much you could even say I love you." She said looking into Clone Naruto's eyes.

Seeing the seriousness of the emotions in her eyes the clone was at a loss. Yeah he liked Tenten a lot, but was it in that way?

Tenten watched carefully as the clone thought about what she had said. When she saw him open his mouth she placed her hand over it as she shook her head. "I don't expect an answer now." Tenten laughed mockingly at herself. "Hell I just told a clone that I love the original. Not like he'll even know unless I tell him myself. Pathetic aren't I?" She laughed again ashamed of herself. Her she was a konoichi with a years experience under her belt and she couldn't tell the man she cared for 3 simple words.

The clone unsure of what to do just held her hand until she started rocking back and forth and crying. The clone scooted over until his hip touched hers, and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "It's ok, Ten-chan. You are far from pathetic. You are one of the strongest women I know."

Tenten's crying slowed as she sniffed a little. "Really? You don't think I'm pathetic and childish?" She asked fear and hope battling in her eyes.

Clone Naruto smiled at her and nodded. "You are a lot stronger then you give yourself credit for, Ten-chan. There is no way I could think you're pathetic, and as for childish…..We'll just have to wait until after you give birth to answer that one." The clone said with a smile trying to get her spirits up.

Tenten just looked at the clone for a long moment before acting on her decision. After all it was just a clone, and Naruto wouldn't know. Right? Tenten grabbed Clone Naruto's shoulders, and pulled him close locking her lips with his in a deep kiss. The clone was caught off guard, and had 2 thoughts run through its mind. 'Boss is going to kill me. Oh well his loss I might as well enjoy this.'

As the sun's rays entered the window hitting the clone's face he woke up with a smile at the surprises the night had brought. Turning on his side he watched Tenten sleep for a few minutes before caressing her cheek.

"Mmmmm Naruto-kun." She said slowly opening her eyes thinking what had happened was just a wonderful dream. Still snuggling with Clone Naruto she was completely surprised when her father knocked on her bedroom door.

"Tenten, it's time to get up breakfast is almost ready."

Tenten's eyes shot open as she looked at the door then the naked Naruto and her own naked body before letting out a squeal as she pulled the blanket over herself.

Tenten's father came running back at the sound, and opened the door in a rush. "What's wrong, Tenten?!"

Acting on instinct Tenten shoved Clone Naruto off the bed with such force that he slammed into the wall to disappear in a puff of smoke. Roshi Hisagia had expected see several things when he heard his only daughter scream, but a naked boy was not one of them. He stared at the wall where the clone had impacted before turning to his blushing daughter. She had the blanket pulled up to her eyes as she watched her father fearing his reaction. He stood there for a moment unable to process what was going on in the room before heading back to the door. Just before shutting it he stopped. "Hurry up, Tenten, breakfast will get cold." He said mechanically as he shut the door and went back to the kitchen. Tenten was sweating as she tried to figure out what she would say to her father, and wondered if he saw enough to recognize Naruto. Quickly she rushed to the door, and locked it before placing her back against it only to slide down to the floor. When her butt hit the floor she was reminded of the previous night's activities by the soreness of her nether regions. With the recall of the memories she grinned thinking that whatever punishment she was about to get was more than worth it.

_Meanwhile with Naruto_

Naruto sat bolt upright as the memories of his clone slammed into his brain. "Son of a bitch." He growled face palming at what his clone had done, and the fact Tenten's father had seen them in bed together. "Just great! How in the hell am I going to fix this?" He said looking down at Anko who was sleeping contentedly, and completely nude. He got up, and went to the bathroom to clean up when an idea hit him. It wasn't something he was looking forward to, and had wanted to wait a few years before putting in motion, but it would solve any problems this situation could bring. That is if the girls agreed.

Naruto quickly finished cleaning up, and made a shadow clone to stay with Anko and fill her in on the situation. With that done he went roof top to roof top across ¼ of Konoha to reach the Hisagia Weapons Shop. He crouched on a roof across the street thinking about how to go about this when he saw Tenten hang the OPEN sign on the door. Sighing he decided to get this over with, and look along the street before doing a front flip off the roof. He walked through the door hearing the bell chime, and looked around for Tenten.

"I'll be with you in just a minute." He heard her say as she placed some merchandise on a shelf. While she was occupied with her back to him he walked over to her stopping 5 feet from her. He couldn't but smile remembering what she had done with his clone, and felt a pain at it not having been himself. His smile widened when Tenten turned to see him, and blushed a deep shade of crimson.

"N...Naruto-kun, what brings you here this early?" She said nervously glancing toward the forge where her father was.

"We need to talk, Ten-chan. There is something important I need to tell you." He said with a very serious tone.

Tenten was taken aback by this, and glanced once more toward the forge before waving him to follow, and led him to the living room above the shop. She sat down, and crossed her legs only to blush and uncross them as the action caused her to remember that she was sore and why. "Has something gone wrong with the clans, Naruto-kun?" She asked trying to stay calm.

Naruto smiled at her movements, and decided to tell her about all that the "Kage Bunshin" was capable of. "Before we get to that I think there is something you should know about my chosen clone jutsu. As you already know from our spars they are remarkably life like, but do you know what the original purpose of the jutsu is?"

Tenten was nervous about this conversation, and where it might be leading so settled for shaking her head in reply.

"Information. That is its original purpose. You see when a clone is dispelled everything it has experienced is returned to whoever created it."

He watched Tenten pale at the realization of what he was telling her. 'He knows! OH KAMI! What am I going to do now?' she screamed in her head as her eyes darted around trying to come up with some explanation for what happened.

"Ten-chan." He said softly gaining her attention. He took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled before he continued. "I want to apologize. I am not good with subtleties, and sometimes need my face rubbed in something in order to notice it." Seeing Tenten close her legs blushing deeply he chuckled slightly. "Sorry, Ten-chan. I didn't mean for that to be an innuendo even though it does reinforce what I am trying to say. To cut to the chase you know what I plan for the Strife clan, and I want to know if you want to solidify what happened last night, and be one of the women I will have to marry under the CRA?"

Tenten gaped in shock at what he asked of her. Having helped with most of the planning and execution of his plans for years from now she knew that by him asking he had moved the time table up drastically. Her thoughts then turned to what it would be like as his wife, and wondered if she would really be able to share him. After a few minutes of thought she realized that as long as she could be by his side she could share him. Looking up at Naruto who was just silently watching her from a chair across from her, and blushed as thoughts of their honeymoon flashed through her head. Her decision made she stood up and walked over to him before leaning down and passionately kissing him. "Yes, Naruto-kun, I will marry you."

Naruto smiled and drew her into a hug. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that, Ten-chan. Now all that's left is to talk with your father about this."

Tenten froze at the mention of her father. "Can we keep certain details private?" She asked extremely nervous about confronting her father.

Naruto laughed and hugged her tighter. "Don't worry, Ten-chan. We can keep our _celebration_ between us."

Tenten blushed and punched him lightly before pulling him down into a passionate kiss. Suddenly Naruto broke the kiss with a grunt, and held his head as if in pain.

"Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" She asked worried about his sudden pain.

"Yeah, but I think it would be a good idea for me to lay low for a while. It seems Anko wants my blood. Though I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not." Naruto suddenly grinned at her. "Do you thing you father would mind if I stayed here?"

Remembering her father's reaction that morning knew that asking would be a bad idea, but had to wonder how he would react to finding out she was now engaged to Naruto. "I honestly don't know, Naruto-kun. He walked in just before your clone dispelled, and I don't know if he recognized you." She said with a frown thinking about how to talk with her father.

Naruto thought about this for a minute before replying. "Either way I'm sure he'll figure it out when we break the news to him. I just hope he doesn't use me for target practice."

Tenten sighed knowing he was right about the situation. "When should we tell him?" She said as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Why don't you tell him we have something to discuss with him, while I make something to eat? I'm sure he's at the forge by now so I should have everything ready by the time he gets to the kitchen."

"Ok, Naruto-kun." She said before kissing him lightly. "I hope you know what you are doing."

Trying to cheer his fiancée up he grinned at her. "Didn't I prove that last night?" He asked suggestively.

Tenten blushed before smacking his arm. "Yes you did, but I don't think Father needs to know that." She said before leaving to find Roshi.

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By the time Tenten and Roshi arrived in the kitchen 30 minutes later Naruto had several plates of sushi, onigiri, and a pot of fresh tea waiting. Roshi raised an eyebrow at this, and sat down while Tenten moved to sit next to Naruto. He looked between the two teens for a moment as he connected the dots. As a father he was understandably upset, but he also knew Naruto well after all the time he spent helping around the shop. He decided to keep his temper in check until her heard them out. "I don't want to know what you two do alone, but there is one thing I will know now, Naruto." At this Roshi gave Naruto a look that by all rights should have nailed him to the wall. "Just what are your intentions towards Tenten?"

The teens looked at each other for a moment before Naruto placed his hand on hers smiling at her reassuringly. Seeing her smile back he turned to Roshi his expression dead serious as he replied in formal tones more fitting to a meeting with a clan head. "Roshi-san, I can assure you that my intentions toward Ten-chan are completely honorable. Though it may seem rushed I have asked if she would be willing to help me rebuild the Strife clan, and she has agreed."

Roshi was surprised at this having been around ninjas long enough to know some of the details restoring a clan entailed, and narrowed his eyes as one of those details entered his thoughts. "I have a feeling there is more to this then you are saying, Naruto. I've been around enough ninja clans to know a few things. So please do us all a favor and stop pussy footing around."

Naruto sighed, and felt Tenten squeeze his hand causing him to smile back at her. "I have already talked with Hokage-sama about restoring my clan so you needn't worry about that. With Tenten's wonderful assistance we have also made connections already with some of the major ninja clans with positive results. Granted things are moving faster than I had planned, but I have never hid anything from her about restoring my clan." Here Naruto took a deep breath before continuing as he knew Roshi would more than likely disagree with what he was about to hear. "In case you haven't heard I have a Bloodline, and as such I am bound by the Clan Restoration Act, and will have to take at least 3 wives by the time I turn 19. Tenten and I have become very close over the last few months as you know, and recently realized that we are more than just friends, and as such I have asked if she would be one my wives." Naruto stood up, and walked over to Roshi before bowing deeply. "Roshi-san, I humbly ask for your blessing in having you daughter's hand in marriage."

Roshi took a moment to digest what he had been told, and though he loathed the idea of Tenten being caught in clan politics he had to admit she could do much worse than Naruto. To be honest he really liked the boy, and already looked at him as a nephew. He looked over to his daughter seeing the worry she had in her eyes as well as the genuine affection she had for Naruto when she looked at him. Letting an explosive breath out he ran a hand through his hair before turning to Naruto. "To be perfectly honest I think you are both too young for this, and I certainly don't like seeing Tenten caught up in the CRA, but I can see you two care for each other deeply. You have my blessing on 2 conditions. The first is that no more indecent behavior will happen in this house until you are properly married. Secondly…" Roshi looked at both of them with his eyes hard as forged steel. "I do not want to be a grandfather until BOTH of you are at the very least chunin. Do I make myself clear?"

Tenten blushed while Naruto grinned sheepishly at having been caught, and nodded in acceptance of what they thought were fair conditions considering the situation. Naruto then walked over to embrace Tenten in a hug, and kissed her. While Naruto was glad that, what he thought was the hard part, Tenten was already thinking about what she should pack for when she stays the night at Naruto's place as well as deciding to talk with some medic nin about contraceptive jutsu. After the kiss had continued for over a minute Roshi growled causing the two lovers to end their affectionate display.

"I'm heading back to the forge, but remember to keep the PDAs to a minimum, and since you are wearing a Hitai-ate I assume you have much to do after graduating." Roshi gave Naruto a pointed look that meant his daughter was not included on that list before walking out of the kitchen.

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With the events that had taken place that Saturday morning Tenten had totally missed her team's morning training, and barely caught them before the mission hall. She stopped before her jonin sensei leaning on her knees out of breath from running full tilt from her house. Gai wondered what was going on as the konoichi of the team was usually early to the team meetings, and never missed training unless absolutely necessary.

**(AN: We all know how Gai and Lee talk so I'm not going to bother with even trying to emulate their speech patterns.)**

"Is something wrong, Tenten? You missed training this morning completely, and almost missed today's mission."

Tenten caught her breath before answering. "Gai-sensei, an emergency has come up, and I have to skip today's team activities."

This caused Gai to worry even more, and gave voice to this. "What has happened, and is there anything we can do to help?"

"I can't tell you right now, Gai-sensei, but if you could tell me where I could find Mitarashi Anko it help a lot." She said hoping that he wouldn't demand an answer right now as she was in a hurry, and didn't want to deal with her teammates' reactions to finding out she was engaged.

Gai was shocked that whatever happened would involve Anko as she was one of the "Infamous 3" of I&T, and famous for her hands on approach to getting information from prisoners. "You could probably find her at the dango shop seeing as it's around noon, but I expect to hear what this is about soon, Tenten." He said in a voice that left no room for argument.

"Hai, Gai-sensei, I promise to tell you after I talk with Anko." She said before jumping to a nearby roof, and heading in the direction of the dango shop.

While Gai watched her leave he made a mental note to talk with Anko about why one of his students would need to talk with a member of I&T Neji, and Lee looked at each other in concern both having noticed the urgency Tenten showed.

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Anko sat happily munching on dango as she thought about just how devious Naruto was, and couldn't help but laugh in a way that would make even some demons wary thinking about the looks on the Council's faces. Now keeping in mind that Anko had a certain reputation around Konoha everyone who knew of her knew one simple fact. A happy Anko was an unstable, dangerous, surprising Anko. This would explain why the dango shop only had a few patrons, and all were seated well away from her. Even the staff was giving her a wide berth as much as possible. This of course only added to her good mood. She was dragged from these thoughts as the door was slammed open. Looking over to the cause of the disturbance she saw a girl in Chinese style dress and her hair done up in 2 buns making her look like a panda. Recognizing the girl Anko had to wonder what was the cause of Tenten to be in such a rush. Her curiosity peaked further when Tenten made her way over to Anko, and sat down at her table.

"Anko-san, we need to talk. It's about Strife Naruto." Tenten said as she accepted a glass of water from the waitress.

"What's the gaki done now?"

Tenten fidgeted nervously for a moment before steeling herself. "He proposed to me this morning, and told me you weren't exactly happy with him this morning. With you being one of his closest friends I thought that we should talk as I am now his fiancée."

Anko raised an eyebrow, and appraised the girl very seriously causing the girl to sweat even if she didn't flinch under the gaze. "I agree there is much for us to talk about, but not here." Standing up she tossed some money on the table before motioning Tenten to follow. "We'll talk at my place. I have a feeling this is going to take a while."

Half an hour later Tenten found herself sitting on a couch in Anko's Spartan apartment in the Jonin housing complex. She was surprised to see that even though Anko was a very skilled and attractive woman she lived what amounted to a bachelor's life style. She looked around the place trying to gain some glimmer of what Anko was like from her surroundings until said woman walked in from the kitchen with some tea, and poured Tenten a cup before sitting down. Anko took her own cup sipping slowly as she stared at the girl. After a few moments wherein Tenten had tried to start the conversation and failing Anko decided to take the initiative,

"Since he proposed I take it you know about the CRA?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact I have been helping him form the groundwork for future clan relations."

Anko nodded having suspected this. "Well then let me ask this. Just how much has Naruto told you about me?"

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Monday morning found Naruto walking toward the academy for the last time. He wasn't really worried about what team he would be placed on as long as it wasn't with the Uchiha or one of the fangirls. His thoughts however were turned more towards the upcoming council meeting he had discussed with Sarutobi. The Hokage had promised to talk with Anko about the meeting while he talked with Tenten. He let his body move on autopilot while he thought about his future, and the moves he'd have to make to forestall the Council from making his life worse than they already have, even if they didn't know it was him. Being so deep in thought he was caught completely off guard when Tenten tackled him to the ground in front of the academy gates.

"Ten-chan, wha…" He started to say when Tenten, who was straddling him by this point, yanked him up by his collar, and kissed him passionately. Naruto slipped his arms around her waist returning her kiss until they broke apart for air. "Well good morning to you too, Ten-chan." He said with a small chuckle causing her to blush slightly, and nearby people to laugh.

Realizing they had an audience Tenten pushed Naruto back to the ground leaning over him as she did so. "If you like that just imagine what you would have gotten if you had stayed for breakfast." She said with a sensuous half smile as she traced his jaw line with a finger. When she saw Naruto open his mouth to respond she quickly caught his mouth in another kiss before doing a quick front flip into a crouch, and slowly stood up making sure he had a good view of her ass as she did so. Tenten then looked over her shoulder at him smiling at the look on his face as he watched her body. "Good Luck, Naruto-koi." She said before simply walking away with a sway in her hips that made promises for the future.

Naruto lay on the ground watching her leave, and wondering just what she was planning. After she was out of site he flipped up onto his feet, and dusted himself off before heading inside. He took his usual seat when he got to class, and pulled out a scroll while he waited for team placements to begin. When Iruka came in and began announcing the teams he only listened with half an ear as he continued reading the scroll until he heard a screech from a pink haired fangirl.

"Eat that, Ino-pig! Sasuke-kun is all mine now!" The pink haired fangirl cheered not seeing her crush's disgusted look.

"Settle down, Sakura, before I decided to send a report to your jonin sensei." Iruka said with a hard look making the girl sit back down. "Now as I was saying… Team 7 is Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Inuzuka Kiba. Team 8 is Aburame Shino, Hinata Hyuuga, and Strife Naruto. Team 9 is still on active duty so the next is Team 10 Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino. Now that everyone knows their teams I suggest you get to know each other better, and meet back here after lunch so your jonin sensei can pick you up. Good luck everyone." With his job done Iruka gathered up his papers, and left the room.

Most of the graduates reorganized themselves into their teams while some went to chat with friends instead. Since Hinata and Shino already sat near each other Naruto to sit by them.

"Greetings, Strife-san." Shino said in greeting.

"How ya doin', Shino?" Naruto said sitting next to him with Hinata on the other side of Shino.

"I am well. My father sends his regards, and it has been decided that I will be the one to test those weapons." Shino said in his usual monotone.

Naruto smiled hearing this. "That is good to hear. Please tell Shibi-san that I am greatly honored by this, and what we discussed will be part of today's Council meeting."

"That is interesting. I take this to mean something has happened to cause such a drastic alteration to your stated plans?"

"Hai. As I am sure you are aware unexpected events can change even the best laid plans. It is not something to worry about though. In actuality it makes some aspects easier for me even with the advanced time table."

Hinata was very curious as to what they were discussing as it very much sounded like Clan business, and as Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan she was able to tell Shino was speaking like an heir to a Clan head. Needless to say this had her very curious because as far as she knew Naruto was not a member of a clan. "A…ano. What are you talking about?" She asked not wanting to offend them in case it was private clan business.

Shino looked at Naruto with an eyebrow raised wondering why Naruto had not included the Hyuuga in his plans. Naruto caught the look and shook his head in confirmation that he had not approached the Hyuuga before looking at Hinata. The girl blushed under the intensity of the gaze, but nowhere near what she would have before the boy she loved died. Taking strength from her resolve to become a woman and konoichi he would be proud of she met his eyes. After a moment Naruto nodded to himself as he made his decision.

"What I am about to tell you has been kept secret as per the laws concerning inter-clan relations, and personal clan activities. I am telling you this for 2 reasons. The first is that we are teammates, and in order for a team to succeed there must be trust. The second is that as clan heiress you will no doubt find out about it after tonight's Council meeting from your father. I will require you to promise that you will not say anything about this until after Hiashi-san has talked with you about what the Council meeting revealed." Naruto said with a seriousness that made the heiress duck her head in thought for a moment.

Raising her head up she spoke with a formal tone that said she was speaking as heiress of the Hyuuga Clan not as his teammate. "You have my oath, Strife-san. I pledge not to breath a word of what you are about to tell me until the time is appropriate or with others you deem fit."

Naruto bowed his head acknowledging her oath, and looked at Shino silently asking if he wanted his clan's involvement known to which he got a slight nod in reply. "Hinata-san, I have made the decision to rebuild my clan here in Konoha and after discussing this with Hokage-sama I started approaching some of the clans to gain support for when I made the announcement. I had originally planned for this to happen at a later date, but due to certain events I was forced to make the announcement early at the Council meeting that will be held later today. I knew that I would have very little chance of success at this without revealing things I didn't want to until the announcement so I approached some of the clans such as the Aburame with what you could call a good faith offering."

Hinata was surprised that such political game play would be done by someone so young before a thought occurred to her. "Strife-san, why have you not approached the Hyuuga about this? We are after all the most influential, and powerful clan in Konoha."

"That is a good question, Hinata-san. When I was thinking of which clans to approach, and what I could offer in exchange for their support I could think of nothing that your clan couldn't either get on its own or wouldn't reject because of your clan's philosophy towards the almost exclusive use of juken."

Their conversation was brought to a halt when the lunch bell rang, and they agreed to meet back up at the same spot after lunch. After eating they returned to the classroom, and passed the time in small talk until the jonin that would be in charge of the teams started showing up. They only had to wait a few minutes before their sensei showed up, and who it was surprised Naruto.

"Kurenai-chan, I didn't know you were going to be a jonin sensei this year since you only recently became a jonin."

"I was hesitant about it, Naruto-kun, but after talking with the Hokage, and Anko I thought it would be a good idea." Kurenai's smile widened a little as she looked at Naruto. "By the way do you care to explain why Anko has been so eager to get her hands on you?"

"Heh…um… I think I have an idea, but I've been avoiding her since the last I remember she tried to pin me to a wall with kunai. I honestly didn't know she'd be so upset about it."

Kurenai laughed knowing that Anko was actually thrilled with what Naruto had told her. "She's not upset, Naruto-kun. As a matter of fact she can't wait to see the look on the Council's faces when they find out that she has accepted your offer. Enough chit chat, I want you three to meet me by the pond that's used for jutsu practice where we will start our first team meeting." Kurenai used Shunshin after getting confirmation from them.

Kurenai, as expected, was already sitting by the pond when the graduates arrived, and she motioned for them to sit down before speaking.

"This will just be a quick meeting before we meet up again tomorrow. I want each of you to introduce yourselves. Name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and goals. I'll start off so you have an idea of what I mean. My name is Yuuhi Kurenai, rookie jonin as I only got the promotion a few months ago. I like strawberries, my best friend Mitarashi Anko, romance novels, and flower arrangements. I dislike perverts, spicy food, and people that think konoichi are weak. My hobbies are genjutsu, star gazing, and calligraphy. My goals are to prove that konoichi can be just as powerful as shinobi, and to help you grow as a true sensei should." Kurenai then gestured at Shino to go next.

"My name is Aburame Shino heir to the Aburame clan. I like studying bugs, and finding new or rare ones that do not live around Konoha. I dislike the reaction most people have to bugs because of their ignorance about them. My hobbies are searching for new bugs to add to my clan's store, and reading. My goal is to become a shinobi worthy of being a future clan head, and to eliminate some of the weaknesses in my family's jutsu."

"Ok you're next." Kurenai said nodding to Hinata.

Hinata stood up and bowed to the group before speaking. "I am Hyuuga Hinata, heiress of the Hyuuga Clan. I like pressing flowers, ramen, and gardening. I dislike people that form opinions about others without getting to know them, Kumogakure, and the Caged Bird Seal. My hobbies aside from my likes are training, and helping out at the food kitchens run by my clan. My goal is to become Clan Head so I can get rid of the use of the Caged Bird Seal, and to grow to be a konoichi that my Uzumaki-kun would be proud to have had by his side."

Naruto was quite surprised at this and spoke up. "Uzumaki? Do you mean Uzumaki Naruto?"

Hinata blushed slightly as a memory of her lost love passed through her head. "H...hai. He was my childhood love until he died a few years ago. He inspired me to become stronger and more confident. I would not be the woman I am today if it wasn't for him."

Naruto smiled at this glad to hear that there was someone who didn't hate him before his disappearance. "I am sure he would be proud of you, Hinata. From what I know he had a hard life, and I am glad not everyone despised my brother."

"B...Brother?!" Hinata said in shock as she looked at Naruto seeing him nod.

"Yes he was my brother. We were twins. I knew very little of him until I had returned here, and was given the few possessions he had. Most of what I know came from the journals he kept."

Shino had raised an eyebrow at this information filing it away for later. Kurenai's eyes had widened in surprise since knowledge of this is supposed to be a secret. Hinata was at a total loss just staring at who she just found out was the brother of the now deceased boy she had given her heart to. Growing uncomfortable with the looks he was getting Naruto thought it best to change the subject before they started asking questions he didn't want to answer.

"I guess it's my turn to introduce myself. My name is Strife Naruto Clan Head of the Strife Clan, and holder of the Strife Bloodline. I like training, reading, spending time with friends, and nature. I dislike people that try to take advantage of others, fangirls, people with an arrogantly superior attitude, and seeing a woman being hurt. My hobbies include philosophy, kenjutsu, poetry, and helping out at the Hisagia Weapon Shop. My goal is to rebuild the Strife clan here, and be a good father."

Kurenai was surprised that he had let out information he had held so closely guarded, but brushed it aside as his secrets to tell. "Ok since introductions are over I'll tell you what our team is up for next. Tomorrow I will be assessing your skills with the exception of Naruto. We will meet up at training ground 27 at 8am. After that is done we'll get lunch, and head to the mission hall for our first mission as a team." With that said Kurenai dismissed her team, and headed to the Hokage's office via shunshin.


	4. Chapter 4

The Council of Konoha was divided into two parts, the Civilian Council and the Shinobi Council. Obvious by the names the civilian side handled the non ninja aspect of Konoha while the shinobi side handled ninja affairs. As usual the Civilian Council members were talking amongst themselves while waiting for the Hokage to start the meeting. Normally the Shinobi Council which was made up Clan Heads and a few other high ranking ninja would be doing the same, but for some reason most of the clan heads were silent. Hiashi wondered if they knew about this mysterious announcement the Hokage was going to make. He wasn't really worried about it for several reasons. He was head of the Hyuuga Clan and virtually untouchable. He could read body language with a skill unmatched by any but a few on the Hyuuga Clan council, and could tell they weren't nervous, or excited just patient in a way that reminded him of someone reviewing an old speech.

When the doors opened the talk died down as attention was focused on Hiruzen Sarutobi Sandaime Hokage of Konoha. Though he was a man approaching his 7th decade of life he moved in a way that said he was no pushover, and could still prove it if needed. Sitting down in his chair he addressed the assembled council members.

"As you have heard there is to be a special announcement made during this meeting. Now before we begin does anyone have anything to say?" Seeing that he got no response except Nara Shikaku stopped dozing, and sat up he motioned to the ANBU at the door. When the ANBU opened the door Naruto walked in, and bowed to the Hokage then the Council.

"Now that we are all gathered I will give the floor to Strife Naruto so he can explain the situation."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Naruto said before facing the Council. "I am Strife Naruto a recent graduate of the academy. I have come to announce my desire to rebuild my clan here in Konoha. The Strife Clan has a bloodline that enables the use of some jutsu without the need for hand seals, and increased healing among other things. I know of the laws regarding bloodline clans, and will submit to the CRA. In fact there are two women that have already agreed to marry me. I know the minimum number of wives under the CRA is 3, and that anyone must have at least that number by the age of 19 or be forced into a marriage arranged by the Council and the Hokage. Seeing as I am currently 15 that gives me 4 years to find one more wife. I have also already discussed with Hokage-sama about the purchase of land for my clan, and he has agreed to it with the council's approval."

With the pause in Naruto's speech one of the civilian council members in charge of land development stood. "Where is this land you wish to purchase? Even though you are rebuilding your clan from scratch the need for future growth must be taken into consideration, and there are not that many places available right now." The councilor said this with a gleam in his eyes, which was unsurprising as he was one of the ones in charge of construction in Konoha, and would be getting a percentage of the profits from any new construction.

Saratobi puffed on his pipe before answering. "Your question is a good one, and will be addressed as such. Strife-san and I have decided on what we both think is an appropriate place. It used to belong to a clan that has died out, and as such will only require a small amount of repair, and should be enough for a growing clan for several generations. For a moderate price I have decided to sell Strife-san the old Namikaze clan estate."

Saratobi puffed on his pipe as he let the council have their outburst ignoring their protests. While the Civilian Council was mostly in an uproar the Shinobi Council was almost silent even though there were some surprised expressions. The part of the Shinobi Council that wasn't in the know didn't like the idea of the Yondaime's estates being sold, but had to admit that having a clan with a bloodline like what was stated would be a great asset. After several minutes of this the Hokage raised his hand silencing everyone.

"I understand that many wish for the Yondaime's estates to remain empty out of respect, so I will allow your questions to be answered."

It was another member of the Civilian Council that stood up this time. Her name was Haruno Aiyaka, and rabid supporter of Uchiha Sasuke. "What makes him worthy of having the Namikaze estate? We know nothing about him or his clan. To my knowledge he wasn't even in Konoha until he started the academy late last year." She said with the usual loudness associated with the females of the Haruno Clan.

"Those are valid points Haruno-san, and I shall let Strife-san answer them." Saratobi said gesturing to Naruto.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." He said with a bow before turning to the councilwoman. "What I am about to tell you has been deemed an S class village secret by the Hokage, and is punishable by imprisonment and interrogation for you, your family, and anyone you may tell. I am actually the adopted son of the Strife Clan Head that resides on the southern continent. Years ago they found a way to pass on their bloodline fully intact through a very intense ritual, which is how I carry it now. Before you ask I will state that I will not be passing that knowledge along as it constitutes as a clan jutsu as well as a kinjutsu. With that being said I am the biological son of Uzumaki Kushina who was heiress to the royal line of Uzu no Kuni before it was destroyed, and Minato Namikaze the Yondaime Hokage. I am also the twin brother of Uzumaki Naruto. The identities of the rest of my family have been deemed a SS class secret, and will not be revealed at this time."

This was met with widespread shock as many of the councilors had known Kushina while she was alive, and was awed that the woman known as _Akai Chishio no Habanero_ was not only a princess, but the mother of the demon boy as well. Though this did not compare with finding out that Minato had two sons, and one of that was the host of the Kyuubi no Yoko. Of course the knowledge that the boy in front of them was related to the Jinchiriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko caused an uproar though not as big as some had expected. The reaction of the few that knew of Kushina's marriage to Namikaze Minato was much more subdued as they processed the information.

Growing tired of the noise Sarutobi flared his ki bringing silence to the room. "I understand this news may be somewhat unsettling to some of you, but I will not let old hatreds for a demon long dead effect matters that involve this village. Since protocol has been followed, and I am acting as his sponsor in this I will now call for the required vote to allow the Strife Clan to take root in Konoha. Those in favor please stand up."

Very quickly most of the major clans stood up followed by the rest of the shinobi council, and a few of the civilian council totaling 70% of the council. Saratobi took the time to note each vote before officially announcing the addition of the Strife Clan to Konoha, and Naruto's seat on the Council. "Please take the seat due you as Clan Head, Strife-san." Saratobi said pointing to an empty seat on the shinobi side of the council. "Now that that has been taken care of are there any more questions before we continue?"

"I have one, Hokage-sama." A minor councilor said standing up. "Strife-san has mentioned that he already has 2 of the fiancées required for the CRA. I ask that the Council be informed as to their identities."

Hearing this Saratobi barely managed to keep his smile from turning malicious knowing what was going to happen next. "I think that is a reasonable request, and with Strife-san's approval the ladies in question are waiting outside. If you would be so kind, Neko-san." He said addressing the last to an ANBU with a cat mask standing near the door.

The named ANBU bowed before leaving to get the ones requested. A few minutes later the door was reopened as Neko and Morino Ibiki walked in. Ibiki smiled at the scared reaction his presence elicited. "It is my pleasure to announce the future mothers of the Strife Clan." He said before moving to stand by the Hokage's desk.

The first through the door was Hisagia Tenten dressed in a formal kimono soon followed by Mitarashi Anko who had forgone her normal attire, and was dressed in an elegant ankle length form fitting dress that had a slit going up to mid thigh on the right side. A few men whistled in appreciation of the display while the rest of the council was split in its reaction. The shinobi side was shocked at seeing Anko wear something that covered so much of her body, even if it didn't leave much to the imagination, and had to admire Naruto for having the balls to court such a dangerous woman. The civilian side was upset that a student of one of Konoha's greatest enemies, and traitors was to be the wife of someone that amounted to a prince, and made their displeasure known. This caused Naruto to move in front of his fiancées, and level enough ki at the Civilian Council to rival a jonin.

"If anyone has issue with either of these woman keep it out of the Council room, and should anyone try to harm them…" Naruto's ki jumped even higher, becoming almost palatable, as he glared around him. "I will make it clear that they will be moving to the Strife estate tomorrow, and any attempts against them will cause the Shinigami to shudder at their fate." Naruto kept up the glare and ki for a few more minutes to make sure the point was made before shutting both off like a switch, and turning to the women. Naruto took their hands, and kissed them lightly. "Why don't you two head home and pack? Tomorrow will be a long day, and I don't want you to overexert yourselves."

Tenten and Anko both smiled at him each kissing him on the lips before walking out of the Council chamber as if nothing had happened. Just as they were about to pass through the door one of the civilian council members could be heard to saying something that was beyond stupid.

"It's somewhat fitting the Snake Whore is marrying into the Demon Brat's family."

Naruto stopped dead still as everyone in the room felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end as if a merciless apex predator was about to eviscerate them. Slowly Naruto turned around facing the one who had spoken his eyes narrowed slightly, and raised his hand palm out at the man.

"THUNDAGA." He all but growled out launching a thick bolt of lightning at the man momentarily blinding everyone in the room. When their vision cleared, and their ears stopped ringing they saw the councilor, or what was left of him. He was sitting lifelessly against the wall behind where he had been sitting with a smoking hole in his chest that if it was only a couple inches bigger there wouldn't be anything left for his arms to be attached to. Everyone in the room stared in shock at this until the silence was broken by one of the Uchiha's biggest supporters.

"He murdered a member of the council! Arrest him!"

Naruto's glare moved to the fool but when he spoke it was with a dangerous calm. "I merely followed the law set down by the Hokage 15 years ago."

"What law?" The pompous man demanded.

Naruto looked at Tenten then at Sarutobi as if asking permission, and received a small nod in return.

"The law he broke is the one making the information about the Kyuubi no Kitsune no Yoko being only spoken of in the presence of those that already knew. Violation of the law is counted as treason, and punishable by death. I only took care of it before the ANBU did." At the mention of the famed black ops squad he turned his head to a deep shadow. "Isn't that right ANBU-san?"

To many of the councilors' surprise the captain of the ANBU squad whose mission it was to guard the chamber revealed himself and bowed to Naruto.

"That is quite right, Strife-san. His life became forfeit as soon as those words left his mouth since Tenten-san is in the room. I don't suppose you'd be willing to join ANBU when you make chunin would you?" The captain said amusement clear in his voice.

Naruto smiled and shook his head slightly. "Sorry, ANBU-san, but I plan on concentrating on my clan for the next few years. Maybe after things have settled down, but right now I have to say no."

The ANBU captain chuckled turning to Anko. "I don't suppose you'd let me have first dibs on him if he decides to join would you, Anko-san?"

Anko let her smile become slightly feral before answering. "Sorry but there is no way I'm pulling my claws out of him." Having said her piece she walks over to Naruto in an undulating manor and softly kisses him on the lips. "I'll see you at home, anata-sama."

She was quickly followed by Tenten who kissed him slightly longer. "Don't take too long, Naruto-koi." Smiling sweetly she alongside Anko left the room leaving the councilors alone.

"Well now that's taken care off we can take a small recess for refreshment while the trash is taken out." Sarutobi said as a lower ranking member of ANBU started to drag the corpse out the door.

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The next morning Naruto stifled a yawn as he entered his team's training grounds. He had thought about showing up late since Kurenai had said she wouldn't be evaluating his skills, but he thought it would be a good chance to talk with Shino about helping him train with the special tonfas. Entering the clearing he saw that Shino and Hinata were already there.

"Morning." He said giving them a sleepy wave in greeting.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." Said Hinata looking at him oddly.

"Something wrong, Hinata?" Naruto asked having noticed the look.

"My father told me about what happened at the Council meeting. Are you really the last of the royal line of Uzu no Kuni, and son of the Yondaime?"

Naruto sighed wishing he had slept in, and nodded his head. "Yes I am. My mother was the only survivor from when Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri destroyed the country in the last war." Seeing her open her mouth to ask another question he raised his hand to forestall her. "Before you ask I won't tell you about my father Minato's side of the family, and why it is a SS class secret. There are only 3 people in the village that know that information including myself. My fiancées don't even know for their protection. If the knowledge got out there is a good chance it would start another war."

Hinata's eyes became as big as saucers, and she gasped hearing this, while Shino merely raised an eyebrow. "That is very interesting, Naruto-san, but why would a war result from the knowledge of your lineage?" Shino said giving voice to his curiosity.

"Let's just say that my father's side of the family has had an ungodly influence on the Elemental Nations going back to the start of the Shinobi Era, and leave it at that. By the way, Shino, I wanted to talk with you about helping you train with the weapons I gave you." Naruto said hoping to divert the conversation.

"That would be greatly appreciated, Naruto-san."

Before they could go into detail Kurenai dropped from a tree with a purple haired ANBU at her side, and walked over to the gathered genin. "I'm glad to see you are all here. There has been a slight change of plans. After talking with Hokage-sama he has decided he wants a thorough evaluation of your skills without your bloodline, Naruto-kun, and has chosen Neko-san to assist me with that. While she is evaluating you I will be doing the same with Hinata and Shino. If you have any questions I suggest we get them out of the way now."

"I have one, Kurenai-chan." Naruto said before cracking his neck to loosen the stiffness. "Why does the Hokage think it's needed for an ANBU to gauge my skills? I thought he already had a good idea of what I can do considering what me and Anko-chan have done to training ground 44 in our spars."

"That is why Hokage-sama thought it was necessary, Naruto-san. I was chosen because I am one of the few kenjutsu specialists in Konoha, and can rate your swordsmanship accordingly. Also as an experienced ANBU I should be able to withstand anything you do as long as you refrain from using whatever techniques you used to level parts of the Forest of Death. Hokage-sama also wants to make sure you will be able to protect yourself, and your clan as would be needed of a founding clan head with bloodline."

Naruto nodded in understanding not really liking the idea, but accepting it. Hinata stared in surprise at Naruto wondering why he was a genin if he was as powerful as what she heard made him out to be. While this was going on a buzzing sound could be heard from Shino as he communed with his Hive trying to understand the implications of this new information about his teammate.

"I guess I don't have a choice since this was ordered by the Hokage. Are there any other restrictions besides the use of my bloodline, Neko-san?" Naruto asked in resignation.

"No there isn't, Naruto-san. You can use anything else during our spar though I ask you to refrain from attacks that are instantly lethal. We can begin whenever you are ready."

As Naruto rolled his shoulders he addressed Kurenai. "Just for this I should invite Anko-chan for lunch, and make you pay for her dango, Kurenai-chan, but I won't since you're only following orders." With that said Naruto took his position facing the cat masked ANBU. Seeing her choice of blade he drew his sword, and activated a seal causing a scimitar to eject into the air. Naruto quickly sheaths his larger sword before catching the scimitar in a reverse grip. The blade was sent into motion twirling from hand to hand behind his back in small display of skill before he stopped in a stance that had his right side facing the ANBU. The scimitar came to a stop pointed forward in a standard grip with the blade facing the sky, and his left arm held bent to the side.

Neko slowly drew her double edged sword, and took her own stance assessing Naruto for a moment before attacking. She swung her sword in a horizontal slash aimed at his chest which met his blade in a screech of steel. Naruto using the curve of the blade to deflect his opponent's ducked low countering with a spinning slashed aimed at her knees. Neko evaded this with a spinning front flip so she would come down facing Naruto, and brought her blade down in an overhand strike. Still in a crouching position Naruto blocked this with his left hand supporting the blunt side of the blade near the tip. With a grin he shoved his blade forward and to the left freeing his blade. He swung his sword in a downward curve before bringing it back up in a diagonal slash causing Neko to jump several feet back.

"I'm impressed, Naruto-san. Your kenjutsu skills are quite good. Now let's see how you do in a restricted environment." With that said she jumped into a nearby tree with Naruto quickly following. The rest of the team had watched the display until the pair disappeared into the forest with awe at the speed and skill they had just seen. As the ring of steel started to echo through the trees Kurenai turned to the remaining members of her team.

"As much as I'd like to watch the rest of the spar I still have to evaluate your skills." She took a moment to look between the two before nodding to Shino. "Ok, Shino, you're first."

It had been over 45 minutes since Kurenai had finished her evaluations, and she was starting to get worried as neither Naruto nor Neko had returned yet. The only thing that let her know they were still sparing was the occasional clash of steel, and a random explosion. As she started thinking about putting an end to the fight Neko came flying out of the woods quickly followed by Naruto. Neko flipped herself over to land on her feet, and held up a hand to Naruto signaling him to stop. Kurenai was surprised at what she saw. Both of them looked beat up, had multiple cuts, and bruises, and generally disheveled. Neko stuck her sword in the ground, and leaned on it as she caught her breath while Naruto sealed his scimitar.

"That was a good spar, Neko-san. I haven't had a fight on that level in a long time." Naruto said wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"I have to agree, Naruto-san. Your skills easily put you at high chunin if not low jonin when you go all out." She said as put her sword in the sheath over her right shoulder. The motion must have been more than the already badly damaged mask could take because it suddenly fell apart revealing the face of the female ANBU causing Naruto to whistle.

"Wow skilled and beautiful. Whoever your boyfriend is he is one lucky guy. Can I ask your name so I can congratulate him on catching your attention?"

Neko smiled at the compliment. "My name is Uzuki Yugao, and just how would you know I have a boyfriend?"

Naruto grinned at her while tapping the side of his nose and flaring his nostrils. Yugao looked at him with a confused expression until she realized what he meant, and blushed. Taking the opportunity Kurenai walked over to them, and addressed Yugao.

"Were you able to get an accurate gauge of his skill, NEKO-san?" Kurenai said reminding Yugao of why they were there in the first place.

The purple haired ANBU cast a glance at Naruto before replying. "Yes I did, Kurenai-san, and I must say that I am very impressed at his skill. Overall I would say he is at high chunin or low jonin level in combat, but his skill in kenjutsu is easily mid jonin. If his skills continue to improve he could very easily get into ANBU when he makes chunin."

Kurenai was surprised to hear this. True she knew Naruto was strong, but had no idea he was this powerful. Hell he hadn't even used his bloodline in the spar, and she couldn't help but wonder how different the assessment would be if he had. "Well that is certainly a surprise. It looks like I'll have to talk with Hokage-sama about this after he has had a chance to go over your report. Thank you for your help with this, Neko-san. Is there anything else? I'd like to take my team for lunch before we get a mission."

Yugao looked at the position of the sun, and shook her head. "No, Kurenai-san. My report will be on the Hokage's desk tomorrow if you want to ask Hokage-sama, about it." She began walking away before coming to a stop a few feet from the edge of the clearing. "If you are looking for a good sparring partner I suggest you look up Hayate Gekko. He might even be able to give you a few pointers." She said over her shoulder before using shunshin to leave.

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Sarutobi was lying on the couch in his office reading Icha Icha as two of his Kage Bunshin do paperwork when there is a knock on the door. He put the book away reluctantly before telling the person to enter. Seeing Yugao he smiles, and gestures for her to sit.

"You look worn out. I hope you didn't run into any trouble after testing Naruto." He said stuffing some tobacco into his pipe.

Yugao gave a short laugh and shook her head. "I didn't run into any trouble unless you count that I spent 2 hours fighting Naruto."

Saratobi raised an eyebrow at this growing very curious as to what she was going to report. "Was he that good?"

Yugao nodded as she took a deep breath in preparation of giving her report. "He's even better. It was a simple skill test with only 1 restriction. He couldn't use his bloodline. Even without being able to use that, impressive as it is, he is at the very least high chunin level. If it had been a serious fight, and he used his bloodline I would probably be dead right now."

_**FLASHBACK**_

Yugao had her back to a tree trying to catch her breath after the last exchange. She was amazed at the boy's skill and endurance. He had evaded most of her attacks, and even met her on equal footing in kenjutsu. Shaking her head in wonder at the training he had gone through to get to the level he was at such a young age. By all rights he should be given the rank of chunin if not tokubetsu jonin in her opinion, preferably the latter. In her opinion anyone that could go toe to toe with an ANBU like he had been doing for over an hour deserved it. She definitely would not like to cross blades with him if he got serious, and used his bloodline. She could tell that if he had been using it this fight would have been over long ago as she had barely escaped taking serious hits several times already.

Hearing a noise on a nearby branch she moved with lightning speed in to a defensive stance scanning the area quickly. Seeing nothing she sighed keeping her senses on high alert, and went to lean back against the tree. When her back hit something that was most definitely not wood she stiffened as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. 'How the hell did he sneak up on me like that?!' She thought before slowly taking a step forward, and turning to face Naruto.

"Yo." He said grinning from ear to ear as he leaned casually against the tree. "You know I'm getting kind of hungry. How about we finish this?" He said as he slid his sword into his belt and began making hand seals. Yugao rushed him in an attempt to stop him only to have Naruto evade the strike and get behind her guard. "Bunshin Daibakuha" The Naruto clone yelled an instant before detonating mere inches from her in an explosion that sent Yugao flying through the trees.

_**FLASHBACK END**_

"Honestly I am scared to see what he is capable of with his bloodline, Hokage-sama. While we fought I was able to get a reading of his chakra, and I almost pissed myself at what I felt. His chakra is unlike anything I've felt before. It was undetectable unless he was actively using it, and when he did I could swear that it was almost tangible. To be honest I believe he is at mid jonin level with his bloodline. The only way to be sure though would be to have either Kakashi or yourself test him. If anyone else were to face him in a no limits match I honestly don't know if they'd survive or even remain able to have a shinobi career.

Sarutobi leaned back in the couch puffing deeply on his pipe as he absorbed what he was told. He knew Naruto had gotten a lot stronger then he used to be, but to think he was this strong without even using the Gaia specific skills made him both proud and nervous. As Hokage he had to set aside his grandfatherly feelings for Naruto, and look at this objectively. From that standpoint he saw what an asset Naruto, and his future clan could be, but also was very concerned what would happen if he decided to take revenge on the village for his treatment when he was younger, and known as Uzumaki Naruto. He had watched on some of the training Naruto and Anko had done after they leveled part of the Forest of Death, and was honestly terrified of what the outcome would be if he brought his power to bare against Konoha realizing that in the best case scenario only half of Konoha would be ash before he was stopped.

On the other hand as the boy's unofficial grandfather he couldn't help but swell with pride at the skill he had gained, and how powerful he would be by the time he officially became a jonin. He imagined a Naruto about 10 years older radiating power, after surpassing his father, as he accepted the mantle of Godaime Hokage from him to stand among the greatest ninja that had ever existed. His mind wandered along this vein for a few minutes before removing his pipe, and releasing a large cloud of smoke.

"You have given me much to think about, Yugao-san. Although I trust Naruto, as Hokage I can't help but worry if he is awaiting the right time to take revenge for his brother, as many would in his place. Personally I don't think this is the case, but we can't be too careful." Saratobi sighed heavily running a hand through his hair wishing he didn't have to make the difficult choices that the position of Hokage demanded of him. "What is your opinion of him as a person, Yugao-san? Do you think we can trust him or should we be wary of ulterior motives?"

Yugao, who only knew the official story, frowned as she put serious thought into the question. "I think he can be trusted, Hokage-sama. He has only shown a desire to hurt those that wish harm on him or the people he cares about. I could not sense any desire for revenge or need to inflict pain on others. Yes he would like to beat the crap of the people that hurt, and killed his brother, but there is nothing he can do know for him since Uzumaki died on that night. However he will not hesitate to punish anyone who might try to continue with him what was done to his brother. To be perfectly honest, Hokage-sama, I would have gone on the warpath if I was in his shoes."

Sarutobi nodded his head in response to her words before sighing deeply. "Thank you, Yugao-san. I truly appreciate your honesty on this issue. After you get checked out at the hospital come back here, and I'll have the paperwork for a week long vacation with pay. I feel you deserve it after going toe to toe with a B+ class ninja, even if he only has the rank of genin, and for the honesty you've shown today. Also you are not to tell anyone about the test or our conversation."

Yugao was surprised at the paid vacation, but wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Hai, Hokage-sama. If there is nothing else I'll go the hospital now."

Sarutobi smiled, and waved a dismissal before pulling the required paperwork from his desk.

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Mitarashi Anko lived in one of the standard jonin apartment complexes even though she had more than enough money to buy her own house from her well paying job at Konoha's Interrogation & Torture division of ANBU. There were many reasons for this. Some were political, some were personal, but the main one was that despite her reputation her life was very lonely, and by living in the complex she could pretend she was just an ordinary jonin, not the hated ex-student of Konoha's greatest traitor. After she had gotten home she had sealed most of her personal items in scrolls planning on hiring a genin team to move the rest of her things, and fell asleep after drinking a bottle of sake. Needless she was surprised that her breakfast was interrupted by 10 Naruto clones that were sent to help her move. This is why she was taking one last look around her now empty apartment thinking about the life that was ending, and the new one that was about to start. With a smile, and bounce in her step that was usually only seen when there was some fresh meat to torture Anko locked the door for the last time, and started to follow the remaining clones to her new home when her good friend and boss made his presence known.

"Hello, Anko. I'm glad I caught you before you left. After the council meeting yesterday the Hokage told me a few things. Because of what I was informed of I need to discuss a few things with Strife Naruto. Do you know where I can find him?" The very intimidating man known as Morino Ibiki asked.

Before Anko had a chance to reply one of the clones answered for her. "Boss is at the Akimichi restaurant that specializes in food from the Land of Clouds with his team. Kurenai-chan took them to lunch before getting a mission."

Ibiki and Anko looked at the clone surprised that it knew that information. "Boss dispelled the clone that relayed the progress of the move to him." The clone said seeing their curiosity.

Ibiki nodded to the clone. "Since we're slow at I&T right now you can have the next 3 days off to get yourself settled. Enjoy your time off, but if something comes up I'll have to recall you early."

Anko nodded smiling at the thought of how she'd be spending the next 3 days, as Ibiki disappeared with a shunshin to meet Naruto. When he arrived he watched through the window for a moment seeing that they were almost done with lunch before he walked into the restaurant. When he arrived at the table Kurenai was surprised to see one of the most feared men in Konoha, and was very nervous about the look he was giving Naruto.

"Hello, Ibiki-san. Is there something we can help you with?"

"Yes there is, Kurenai-san. I need to borrow one of your genin for a while so he will be unable to go on today's mission with the rest of your team."

"What is this about?" She asked wondering what he would want with a mere genin.

Ibiki took his eyes off of Naruto to look at Kurenai for a moment. "It is matter involving I&T that I have decided to take care of personally since Anko has the next 3 days off."

Kurenai didn't know how to respond to this, but he outranked her so had no other choice but to accede to him. "I understand, Ibiki-san, but I expect him ready for team duties tomorrow."

Ibiki smiled in a very similar way that he did when looking at a new prisoner to play with. "Don't worry we are just going to have a little talk. Strife-san, follow me so we can talk somewhere more private." He said getting an affirmative nod from the teen. Ibiki then placed his hand on the boy's shoulder as he once again used shunshin taking Naruto with him. Kurenai stared at the spot Naruto was sitting just a moment before, and couldn't help but feel worried about her student, and best friend's fiancée.

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Tenten had been such a ball of energy since morning that even Gai told her to calm down before her flames of youth burned out. Unfortunately the mission they got for the day was to catch Tora. The poor cat was caught in record time when Tenten used her Twin Dragon technique causing the cat to faint, and nearly have a heart attack. Tora had been so scared that he had even jumped into his master's arms when they returned to the mission hall. This is why we find Gai walking with Tenten back to her house after he had dismissed the rest of the team.

"Tenten, I am glad your flames of youth burn so brightly, but what has happened for such a change?"

"I'm moving in with my fiancée today, Gai-sensei." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Gai raised his massive eyebrows in surprise at this since outside of the council almost no one knew of the recent engagement. "Fiancée?! When did you get engaged, and who is the man who has caught the most youthful konoichi in Konoha's attention?"

Despite her eagerness to get to her house, and finish moving in she stopped, and looked at Gai with a smile that showed pure joy. "Saturday is when he asked me, and his name is Strife Naruto. He is Clan Head, and even has a seat on the Council."

Gai stared at Tenten for a moment watching her walk away until he slapped the side of his face to clear his head, and ran to catch up with her. "Can you tell me more about him? I am very curious as to how someone so old caught your heart."

Tenten laughed hearing this, and shook her head as she continued walking. "He's not that old. As a matter of fact he is only a few months older than me. He's tall, well built, has hair the color of sunlight, and has a heart of gold. He just graduated from the academy, and was assigned to Team 8 with Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Yuuhi Kurenai as jonin sensei."

Gai was astounded at hearing that she was engaged to a clan head that had a seat on the council, was only 15, and to top it off had just graduated from the academy. "It sounds as if this Naruto's flames of youth burn brightly. You must introduce me to him soon."

"Hai, Gai-sensei. Anko-chan and I have been talking about having a house warming party, and we plan on inviting several people so you can consider yourself invited." As they turned a corner Tenten saw several Naruto clones waiting for her, and quickly said her goodbyes to Gai before running over to them.

"Why are all of you here?" She asked of the first one she came to.

"Boss sent us to help you get moved. There are several others inside helping your dad with the shop." The clone said smiling at her.

Hearing this Tenten started to bounce on her toes. "Is he here too?" She asked hoping her soon to be husband was near.

"No. A big scary looking guy named Morino Ibiki wanted to talk with Boss. Apparently he works with Anko-chan, and was a bit worried about her."

"Ibiki? As in the head of Konoha's I&T division of ANBU Ibiki?" She said worry clear in her voice having heard stories about the man that gave her nightmares.

"Yeah that's him. Seems like he sees Anko-chan as a little sister, and wanted to give Boss the "Big Brother" talk."

Tenten was scared at the thought of her love being at the mercy of a man known to not know the meaning of the word, and was about to run to ANBU HQ she felt arms wrap around her waist from behind. "Have I told you that I love the scent of your skin after you've been training, Ten-chan?" She hears right before she felt a tingle run down her spine as Naruto kissed her neck.

"Naruto-koi, I was worried about you!" She gasped feeling his teeth graze her skin.

"There was nothing to worry about. Ibiki is hard core scary, but he is just concerned about Anko. I'm glad that he prefers psychological torture to physical though. He had me sweating like a pig at an Akimichi family reunion." He said with a chuckle as Tenten turned around to look him over.

After making sure he was uninjured she let out a relieved sigh before pulling him into a deep kiss not noticing her father had walked outside just in time to see her hands exploring Naruto's torso. Roshi's expression darkened as the kiss went on for a few minutes until he coughed loudly to get their attention.

"It's good to know you two are happy to see each other, but there are a few things Naruto and I need to talk about." Roshi said with a father glare. Sure he was happy that his daughter had found a boyfriend he approved of, but Tenten was still his little princess. The fact she was a ninja with a year of experience, and could pin a fly to the wall at 100 yards was immaterial in his eyes.

Naruto sighed having figured he'd have to have a talk like this with Tenten's father after being cornered by Ibiki. He kissed Tenten's forehead, and headed over to Roshi. "Why don't you take the clones to help you finish packing, and I'll be with you as soon as I can."

"Ok, Naruto-koi." She said watching them enter the house. After a moment she gathered up the needed clones and went inside.

Meanwhile Roshi had taken Naruto to his office where he handled the accounts for the shop. "I won't beat around the bush, Naruto. I like you, and it warms my heart seeing how happy Tenten is with you, but she is still my little girl. On one hand I know you'll do the best by her that you can, but as her father I will tell you this. If you ever hurt her not even the Aburame, Hyuuga, and Inuzuka will be able to find what is left of you. Do I make myself clear?" He finished with a glare fueled by paternal protectiveness.

"I understand, Roshi. I would sooner cut my arm off then let any harm come to her. I also know of her dream to become a konoichi on the level of Tsunade of the Sannin, and I will help her reach that goal in any way I can."

Roshi nodded, and lessened the intensity of his glare hearing this. "Good to hear. Now have you two talked about children? I hope you decide to wait until she is at the least a chunin if not jonin. I am not eager to be a grandfather any time soon."

Naruto ran a hand through his hair honestly having not thought about children before. "We have not talked about kids yet, but I'd say it's safe to assume it'll be a few years before that happens. I don't know about Ten-chan, but I am not ready to be a parent yet."

"Good. I would really hate for Tenten to retire before she was ready." Roshi sighed thinking he was being foolish since he knew Naruto well enough to know that he would make sure Tenten was well taken care of. "Go ahead and get Tenten situated. I'm sure you both have had a long day." He sat down at the desk sorting the papers he had yet to go through.

Naruto watched Roshi for a moment before leaving Roshi to his work, and went upstairs to see how things were going with Tenten. As he neared her bedroom he could hear her giving orders to his clones. He came to a stop and leaned against the door frame watching her with a smile as the room quickly became empty and clones loaded down with her things started heading to her new home. With the remaining clones taking care of the last few items he walked up behind her trying to hide his presence.

"I think Roshi would be satisfied with 4 grandchildren."

Tenten jumped and spun around to face Naruto. "Don't startle me like that!" She nearly screamed before she blushed deeply as what he said finally registered in her brain. "4? Did he actually say that?!"

Naruto laughed taking her into his arms. "No he did say that he wanted us to wait before having kids, and honestly I agree with him. I don't think either of us are ready for have kids yet, and I don't want you to have to give up your dream." He said before leaning in a kissing her softly.

After the kiss ended she hit him on the arm with a small smile. "Don't play with me like that!" Taking a look around she sees the clones have finished their work. "We should get going. I still don't know where the house is, and we still have to figure out what we're going to do for dinner."

"You're right, Ten-chan. Let's go." He said holding his arm out to her. "And don't worry about dinner I have already taken care of it."

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As Tenten and Naruto arrived at what was once known as the Namikaze estate Tenten couldn't help but stop in awe when she passed through the gate. The estate was nearly as big as the Inuzuka compound, with a 3 story house that was easily 20,000 sq. ft. Most of the land was either gardens or training areas with a couple of small orchards, and had a couple of outlying buildings that had been used for storage, and research. Along the wall was a massive series of seals that went around the entire property, as well as on the buildings. Unable to help but gape at the site she turned to Naruto her astonishment clear on her face.

"How are you able to afford something like this? It must have cost a fortune!"

Smiling at her reaction he puts an arm around her waist. "After talking with Saratobi we decided that I should have the estate that my parents had bought, and I only had to pay to have it cleaned so it only cost a little more than an A rank mission. Anyway I couldn't expect such beautiful women like you and Anko-chan to live in an apartment now could I?'"

Tenten couldn't help but cuddle up to Naruto as warmth spread through her chest at his words. She knew he cared for them deeply since he was going to marry them, but it was nice to know he would think nothing of going to such lengths for them. They stood there for a few minutes before heading inside.

"Why don't you get settled, Ten-chan? I need to check on dinner." So saying he kissed her lightly on the lips, and created a shadow clone to help her with anything she might need. Before he left he softly caressed her cheek with a soft smile.

A few hours later the girls could be seen walking down the stairs in dresses that, though were formal, were most definitely sexy in the "classy" sense. Upon entering the dining room they couldn't help but smile at the romantic scene before them. The room was lit by an array of candles, and there were several clones dressed as butlers ready to wait on them. They had been seated for only a few moments when Naruto walked in looking dashing in a formal black silk kimono, and kissed each of them commenting on how beautiful they looked. While the clones served the 7 course meal that had been catered for them they made small talk until the 5th course was served when Anko mentioned that Kurenai mentioned Ibiki was looking for Naruto earlier.

"Yeah he found me too." He said with a slight grimace. "He wanted to give me the "Big Brother" talk, and thought it was necessary to do it in one of the interrogation cells, and even got Inoichi to help him." Smiling he looked at Anko. "Apparently he sees you as a little sister, Anko-chan. I never would have thought that a man of his reputation could be so soft hearted."

Anko laughed picturing Ibiki and Inoichi grilling Naruto for several hours. "Why am I not surprised? They must like you though since they didn't do it in the "Meat Locker"."

Tenten looked slightly worried having heard some horror stories about Anko's co-workers. "What did they do, Naruto-koi? I've heard rumors about them, but after getting to know Anko I know they aren't all true."

"Oh they are true, Ten-chan. It's just that those rumors come from their victims, and not many get to know the person behind the job. Also you have to admit that some of I&T's reputation is warranted. After all how many people know Anko is more than just the "Crazy Snake Lady"?"

Anko pouted crossing her arms with a dissatisfied grunt. "I like the reputation I have thank you very much."

Naruto and Tenten laughed at the display causing Anko to stick her tongue out at them. After this they continued their meal, and continued to stay at the table talking long after they had finished eating. Nearing midnight Naruto stood up, and stretched with a yawn.

"Today was a long day, and I'm going to head to bed." Naruto said before clearing their glasses from the table himself.

When he went into the kitchen Tenten and Anko shared a look before they both smirked, and headed upstairs to start what they had planned earlier. Naruto seeing the dining room empty when he came back figured the girls were tired as well, and had gone to bed themselves. Heading up to his room he quickly undressed, and took a quick shower. As he walked out the bathroom naked except for the towel he was using to dry his hair he didn't notice the girls were in the room until he heard one of them speak.

"Now that is what I call dessert. Don't you agree, Tenten?"

Naruto out of instinct snatched the towel from his head to cover himself, and stopped dead still at the sight before him. Both of his fiancées were completely naked with their hair down caressing each other. They both smiled seeing his stunned expression that soon turned to matched smirks as his liking of the sight was made known through his body's reaction.

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Waking up slowly he first noticed the sun streaming through the window, which was quickly followed by the feel of his hand holding a breast. Lifting up with the treasure still in his hand he noticed that Anko rolled off of him, and was on the outside of a Tenten sandwich with her back facing him. Smiling at the beautiful and undoubtedly sexy scene he carefully moved from the bed, and got dressed to make breakfast for the three of them. Only half paying attention to the omelets, bacon, and toast he was preparing his thoughts went back to last night. Smiling and a little sore in certain areas he wondered about the women sleeping upstairs. 'How did I get so lucky to end up with women like them? If even ¼ of what happened was from love I wonder how they will act when we finally have kids?' At that thought he began to envision years from now with a brown hair boy fencing with Tenten, and a purple haired boy using snakes to scare his younger sister. Between his thoughts, and the rest of his focus on breakfast he failed to notice another presence arrive behind him, and was completely surprised by someone shouting his name.

Turning quickly his eyes widened in shock, and his mouth gaped open as Yuffie jumped on him. With his brain on shutdown he failed to catch her, and he landed on his back hard with the woman he never thought he'd see again on top of him. Dazed from the impact of his head on the hardwood floor he blinked several times to clear the stars from his eyes.

"Naru-kun? Are you ok?" Yuffie said from her straddling position concern clear on her face.

Naruto looked up at Yuffie still stunned, and not believing this was real. Slowly he raised a shacking hand to her face softly caressing her tear streaked face. Awed that something he had dreamed of for so long was now real his brain was locked on his current situation not even considering the women who still bore the evidence of the previous night.

Anko and Tenten had been rudely awakened by a sudden shout and loud impact so they quickly jumped out of bed not even bothering to cover their naked love stained bodies, and ran down stairs.

"Naruto-kun! /Naruto-koi!" They yelled jumping off the 2nd story landing to the 1st floor. Running into the kitchen they stopped dead still seeing a short haired brunette seeming to try to make the moves on their man, and worry quickly turned into righteous fury.

"Who the fuck are you!" Anko yelled balling her fist preparing to attack.

"Get off my man you bitch!" Tenten yelled slipping into the stance for the taijutsu she had learned from her team's sensei Maito Gai.

Yuffie looked at them her eyes narrowing as she saw two naked women ready to attack her, and glared at Naruto before standing up. "I am Kisaragi Yuffie. The woman that carried his son in my womb."


	5. Chapter 5

'_His son….My womb…'_ Over and over these words repeated themselves in Naruto's mind as he stared at Yuffie in stunned shock from his position on the floor with his back to the sink. When he first heard those words he had been in the process of standing up, and had fallen backward as his legs gave out. "A son…I have a son!" He said in a whisper that the women were able to hear only because of the dead silence that had ensued from Yuffie's statement.

Yuffie broke her staring contest to glance at Naruto when she heard the whisper, and her face became softer seeing the expression on his face. Slowly she knelt next to him looking him in the eyes as she spoke softly. "Yes, Naruto, I carried our son inside me." She gently placed her hands on his cheek as unshed tears started to show in her eyes. "I failed you. I…lost him. I wasn't strong enough. I was so selfish when you disappeared that…" Yuffie had to swallow hard at the emotion she felt as the memories flashed in front of her eyes, and hung her head in shame. "I miscarried. Less than a month after you left I…he died because of me."

Tenten and Anko felt their hearts break at the scene before them. They both had thought about carrying Naruto's children, and it showed by both of them standing there with looks of anguish while holding a hand protectively over their stomachs. After a moment they shared a look before walking over to the pair and holding both of them. This action seemed to be a signal for when they did Naruto wrapped his arms around the 3 women, and let out a cry of loss and pain freely shedding tears as he felt part of the dream of having a family seemed to die within him. They stayed like this for a long time each one sharing, and crying for the pain they felt, until over an hour had passed. After the crying had stopped with Yuffie and Naruto clutching each other Anko tapped Tenten's arm, and signaled for her to follow. Tenten nodded, and carefully disengaged herself so as not to bother the two, and followed Anko out of the kitchen.

"What is it, Anko?" She said in a whisper as she glanced back at the pair with worry.

Anko took a deep breath sharing the younger woman's concern for their fiancée and his first love. "I don't want to leave them alone, but they should talk without us there, and we really need to get cleaned up."

Tenten for the first time since hearing the shout took a good look at Anko then herself, and blushed deep enough to rival Hinata before she fainted. "I hadn't even noticed." She said suddenly aware of the soreness, and other reminders of last night. "We should take our time, and I think we need to discuss this ourselves."

Anko took a moment to look at Naruto and Yuffie before sighing and nodding her head. "Yeah, and I'll bet a month's worth of dango that our vacation isn't going to go anything like what either of us had wanted. I don't want to leave them alone too long however. Why don't you join me in the bath? That way we can talk more, and get back here sooner."

Tenten turned to look at them before nodding her head. "Ok…" She said gesturing for Anko to lead the way.

45 minutes later after being freshly washed and dressed the two women reentered the kitchen to see Yuffie sitting at the table sipping tea. They all were silent until Anko finally broke the silence.

"Why don't we introduce ourselves since we didn't get a chance to earlier? I am Mitarashi Anko Tokubetsu jonin of Konoha, and fiancée of Strife Naruto."

"I am Hisagia Tenten genin of Konoha, and fiancée of Strife Naruto."

Yuffie looked at them for a long moment remembering the state they were in when she first saw them. "I am Kisaragi Yuffie. I am what you would call a jonin of Wutai, and it appears there is a lot we need to talk about."

Yuffie looked hard at the two women across from her assessing them for several moments while sipping her tea. Finally she began talking about how she met Naruto, the time he spent on Gaia, their relationship, and finally about what he had told her about his childhood and the Kyuubi. When she got the part about how he had been treated by the village she was surprised at their reaction, but she hid it and continued talking while watching them more closely. Their expressions had started shocked, but it was quickly joined with a growing anger, pain at what Naruto had been through, and hurt that he didn't trust them enough with this. When she finished her story she poured some more tea, and sat quietly waiting for what they had to say.

Surprisingly Tenten was the first to say something, and she was not happy in the least. "I'll kill them. How dare they treat a child like that just because a demon was sealed in him?" She had her fists clenched and was shaking in fury at what her love had gone through as a child and the fact he felt he had to hide it from those he loves.

Anko was taken aback by the ferocity she heard in the words, and smiled sadly that it took all of this just to finally get someone to treat him as a human. "They are scared fools who were so blinded by the loss of their families, and anger at the Kyuubi they couldn't see the forest for the trees." Anko had to hold her hands up defensively as she felt rising KI coming from the others. "Don't get me wrong here. I am _not_ defending them. Think about it though. Put yourselves in their shoes. The Kyuubi ate or simply obliterated the ninja that fought against it, and some parts of Konoha. There were almost no bodies to bury, they couldn't really get any closure and let their loss hold sway over their lives."

Anko paused to take a deep breath before continuing knowing that she could get in trouble with the Hokage for what she was about to say. "What I am about to say is supposed to be kept secret, and if the Hokage finds out I could get into some serious trouble. Before I joined the I&T division of ANBU I was one of the ANBU assigned to protect Uzumaki before he joined the academy. I stopped many from getting their hands on him, and often times wished I could have taken care of him myself, but the council wouldn't let anyone do that. Some wanted to keep him weak; others wanted him dead, some wanted to turn him into a living weapon, while the rest were simply indifferent. All in all there were only a few that treated him like he was a normal child. Even with all that he went through he would always bounce back with a smile. The Hokage…" Anko fell silent with a thoughtful look as an idea suddenly occurred to her.

"The Hokage must know that Strife is Uzumaki. Why else would he have supported him so much since he came back?"

Tenten looked at Anko curiously hearing this. "What do you mean, Anko?"

"The Hokage looks at Naru-kun like a grandson, and if you think about the story that he's been using it makes sense. He's been using the cover story since he got out of the hospital, and the Hokage spent as much time as he could there after Naru-kun woke up. I bet the cover story was his idea."

The women fell silent thinking about this until Tenten broke the silence. "Since it seems like the Hokage knows more about our man than we do I think we need to have a talk with him."

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While the girls had been getting clean Naruto had been jerked out of his emotional reunion by an alarm he had set earlier. He slowly stood up, and moved to where the alarm was on the counter to shut it off. With his mind a mess from the situation he still had duties to perform as a ninja even if he was considered a newly minted genin. "I'm sorry, Yuffie, but I have to get ready and leave. I have a team meeting at 8. I should be back around mid-afternoon." He turned and started heading upstairs for get dressed, but stopped for a moment at the kitchen door. "I will understand if you choose not to stay."

He dressed quickly and was out the door within 15 minutes, and took to the rooftops since he was already running late. A few minutes later he land in the clearing his team used to meet at, and saw that Kurenai was the only one to have arrived so far. Walking over to her he tried to hide his emotional state by greeting her with a smile. "Ohayo, Kurenai-chan."

Kurenai turned with a smile taking the discoloration around his eyes as being kept awake all night by Anko instead of the emotional trial he faced earlier. "Ohayo, Naruto-kun. I'm surprised to see you this morning. I thought that Anko wouldn't let you out until tomorrow."

"She probably wouldn't have if her and Tenten weren't otherwise occupied." He said in a distracted tone wondering if it was a good idea to leave the three alone.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at this and seeing he was distracted already made a decision. "It seems you won't be in the right frame of mind for team training today so we'll just get a mission when the others arrive, and call it a day after lunch." She said somewhat disappointed she would have to cut the time she spent with him short, and mentally slapped herself for it.

"Are you sure about this?" Naruto asked feeling reluctant to get back to the house until he had time to think.

"Yes I am, Naruto-kun. I can tell you are tired and distracted. It's not really surprising since I would have done the same in Anko's place." She said with a slight blush as the image of having Naruto on top of her flashed through her mind. Catching the look he was giving her she tried to think of what to say, and thanked Kami when she saw Shino, and Hinata approaching.

"Ohayo, Shino and Hinata." She said waving to them.

Shino nodded to her then Naruto still as stoic as ever. Hinata in contrast smiled, and waved back.

"Ohayo, Kurenai-sensei, Naruto-san."

"Since Naruto-kun is tired from clan business, and has a lot more to handle we will be having a short day today. We'll skip training this morning so we can get a mission done before lunch. This will also give you more free time to either train in your clan's jutsu or just relax." With that said she gestured for them to follow her as she turned heading to the mission hall which was on the first floor of the Hokage tower.

A short time later they arrived at the mission hall, and were surprised to see the Hokage handing out missions along with Iruka. Walking up to the desk in a diamond formation with Naruto at the rear, Hinata to the left, and Shino to the right Kurenai greeted Sarutobi.

"Ohayo, Hokage-sama. I am surprised to see you handing out missions so early." She said bowing to the old man.

He chuckled lightly as he leaned back taking a long drag off of his pipe, and looked over her team. "I thought I'd take personal interest this morning to see how our new genin are holding up. I have to say that your team looks good, Kurenai. I have to admit I was a little worried with you being a rookie jonin."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama, but these genin are greatly above average for this graduating class. With their brains, and talent my job is very easy." She said bowing deeply to hide the slight blush at the praise. 'What the hell? I seem to be blushing at the drop of a hat recently.' She thought to herself.

Iruka who had been watching the scene silently had to dart his eyes to the side when he started to feel a nosebleed cause by Kurenai showing off her cleavage when she bowed. Forcing a cough to cover wiping his nose he spoke in a cheerful tone.

"I take it your team is here for a mission, Kurenai-san? We have a lot to choose from since most genin teams haven't shown up yet." He said gesturing to the 2 ft stack on the desk.

"Actually I have a specific mission in mind for this team, Iruka." Sarutobi said having gotten a careful look at Naruto's face. "It's one that I know is well within their capabilities if Kurenai will accept it. What do you…"

Suddenly the doors slammed open as a rough looking group walked in. Well Kiba and Sasuke were rough looking while Sakura looked slightly ashamed, and Kakashi just had his face in his orange book as usual.

"Next time you insult Akamaru I will rip off your teme balls, Uke-chan!" Kiba growled out obviously pissed off at the last of the Uchiha.

"Hn. Like you could, dobe. You'd probably be too busy licking them if I let you." The dirty, and scratched up Uchiha Sasuke said in a derisive tone.

Iruka whose face had grown grimmer with each word finally had enough, and used the infamous "Big Head Jutsu". "ENOUGH. Shut up and behave yourselves!" Glaring at them he straightened his jacket before sitting down. "You are in the presence of the Hokage, and you should act like it." Though it didn't show he was proud that it still worked even though they were no longer academy students.

"Thank you, Iruka, you are quite right." Said Sarutobi before taking another drag off his pipe merely looking at Team 7. "Now as I was saying… Do you think your team is ready for a C rank escort mission, Kurenai?"

Kurenai's eyes widened in surprise at this since her team had only done 6 D ranks, and usually 30-40 were required to do a C rank. "I believe they are, but I honestly can't say. Are you sure about this, Sir? I know Naruto is powerful, but my team is meant for tracking, and information gathering." She said slightly worried about screwing this up with having a clan head and two clan heirs on her team.

"WHAT?! Why do they get a C rank already when we're stuck with D ranks?" Yelled Kiba still pissed off.

Sasuke for once agreed with Kiba. "I demand a C rank mission. If they are ready for one then as the last Uchiha I certainly am as well." He said with an arrogance filled sneer that would have made Napoleon proud.

"Yeah no one is better than Sasuke-kun!" The pink haired fangirl named Sakura screeched.

Iruka opened his mouth to berate the unruly genin only to be forestalled by Sarutobi raising a hand.

"Team 7 has not _earned_ the right to do C rank missions yet, while Team 8 has." To emphasize his point he picked up a scroll, and held it out to Kurenai. "The details of the mission are on the scroll. You will meet the client in 1 hour at the east gate. His name is Tazuna, a bridge builder."

While Kurenai bowed and took the scroll Sasuke had stormed out of the mission hall quickly followed by Sakura. Kurenai thanked the Hokage before turning to her team.

"You heard Hokage-sama. Get your gear, and meet up at the east gate in 1 hour. Do not let the faith he has shown in us go to waste." She said all business then used shunshin to get her own gear.

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Two hours later Sarutobi was about to take a break for lunch when his advisors walked in, and stood in front of his desk. Not really in the mood to deal with them he took his time finishing the paperwork he was working on before putting it in the out box.

"Can this wait? I was about to get something to eat." He said letting only a little of his irritation show.

Homura pushed up his glasses before speaking. "It has come to our attention that you gave a C rank escort mission to a team of rookie genin, and refused to give Uchiha-san's team one as well. We want to know why since it is obvious that out of the teams that graduated this year Team 7 is the best having both Uchiha-san as well as Kakashi."

Following right behind him Koharu put in her 2 cents. "It makes no sense especially considering that Kakashi is an elite jonin, and Uchiha-san graduated as Rookie of the Year. I also fail to understand why a recon team was given this mission instead of a direct assault team. Surely Team 7 is much more qualified for it then Team 8."

Saratobi sighed 'Why do I have to deal with this shit?' He asked himself looking at his former teammates. "I chose Team 8 over Team 7 because Team 8 would be able to sense attackers, and prepare for it. Team 7 would be far less prepared, and could possibly lose the client in the first attack. Also Team 8 works far better as a group then Team 7."

Koharu and Homura exchanged a look hearing this. They knew he was right, but they were also staunch Uchiha supporters. "That may be true, but having our strongest rookie team perform this mission would send a message to the other villages that even with the Massacre were are still strong enough to send out the last loyal Uchiha on a mission outside the country. To do otherwise would show our enemies that we are afraid of losing the sharingan."

Saratobi pinched his nose as he thought about this. 'I'm hungry and have to deal with all this paperwork let alone all the crap from the council as it is without having to deal with Uchiha fanatics on top of it.' Sighing deeply he made a decision he hoped he wouldn't regret, but really wasn't in the mood to miss lunch arguing about "The Uchiha".

"Fine, whatever." Sarutobi gave a signal for one of the ANBU to show himself. "Tell Kakashi to get his team ready. They are to act as backup for Team 8 on their escort mission to Nami no Kuni." After the ANBU had bowed and disappeared he looked at the elderly advisors. "Now if there isn't anything else I'm going to get something to eat."

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Hinata, who had been turning her Byakugan on and off in intervals to keep an eye on the surrounding area, had noticed Naruto's mood, and was growing increasingly curious and worried as it had only gotten worse since they left yesterday morning. She slowed her pace to drop back to Naruto's position since he was taking rear guard. As she did she took note of Shino's bugs spreading out more to cover the area she had left, which did not go unnoticed by Kurenai who was walking alongside Tazuna. Unsure how to broach the subject she made a thorough scan of the area using the time to think. After a few minutes she finally spoke.

"A…ano, Naruto-san, is…is something wrong?" Hinata asked with some of her younger self's hesitancy emerging.

Naruto looked at her for a moment keeping pace with the group before sighing as he uncrossed his arms. "To be honest I'm not sure if this mission could've have come at a worse time or if it is gift from Kami-sama."

Hinata was confused at this seeing as how a fresh genin team never gets a C rank mission, and they were the first to do so. "What do you mean, Naruto-san?"

He ran a hand through his hair as he looked at the rest of his team seeming to judge each of them in turn. With his gaze falling to Hinata last he noticed her shoulders hunch as she felt herself being placed on a scale, and after a long moment spoke in hushed tones.

"When I was making breakfast for Ten-chan and Anko-chan this morning there was a…an unexpected surprise I guess you could say." His gaze returned to her once more after sweeping across the area as if expecting an ambush. "You know of our engagement correct?"

"Hai. As heiress father always discusses council meetings with me as part of my political education, and he told me about it after dinner that night." She said wondering if he was having problems with one of them.

Hearing this Naruto nodded having expected something like that from one of Konoha's most influential clans. "What you probably don't know is that before I returned to Konoha I was involved with a woman that I had every intention of marrying one day." He took note of her eyes widening at hearing this as he took a breath before continuing. "Her name is Kisaragi Yuffie. We met several years ago, and she became a sensei of mine, along with a few others. Eventually we fell in love. When we found out I would have to return here at a certain point we took every chance we had to spend time together. As the time of my departure neared we only grew closer together, and I realized that if I could I would spend the rest of my life with her."

Naruto suddenly became silent as several emotions flashed across his face. Hinata saw the love, pain, hope, despair, anger, and some others she couldn't quite identify in his expression, and felt her heart go out to him realizing that something bad had happened to separate them. Hinata chose to remain silent, and scanned the area once again to give him time to gather himself together wondering what Yuffie had to do with his mood.

"When the time for me to return came it was unexpected. I was returning from guarding a merchant to a nearby town, and did not have a chance to do anything about it, and awoke in Konoha. I do not know what happened between now and when I was forced to return. Not knowing if she was alive or dead hated me for leaving, or even if I would ever be able to see her again this side of the afterlife. This morning I found out that not only was she alive, but that she was in Konoha as well. I also found out she was pregnant when I left." The last sentence was said in a pain filled voice barely above a whisper as he looked up at the sky.

Even though it was said so softly Hinata heard it clearly and truly felt sympathy for the man she thought was the brother of her beloved Uzumaki. As her mind processed the information she could understand his emotional confusion. While her heart was sympathizing with him her mind went to the repercussions this would have on him starting a clan as her training as heiress kicked in. Her train of thought was broken when she noticed a tear or two on his face, and quickly grew concerned for him, which was only increased by his next words.

"She showed up while I was making breakfast tackling me in a hug, and the noise brought Ten-chan and Anko-chan downstairs. I can only guess that they were worried about an intruder, because they were both still in the same condition as when we fell asleep after making love."

Hinata blushed at this as her eyes widened realizing what he had left unsaid causing her to gasp loudly. Hearing the gasp Kurenai looked back to see their faces, and rose an eyebrow wondering about it. When she saw them continue to talk in quite tones so as not to be overheard she decided it could wait until after they made camp, and hoped it was something that wouldn't interfere with the mission. Even though she knew the mission came first she wanted to hold him and ask what was wrong, and felt a tinge of jealousy, that was quickly squashed, at the fact she wasn't the one he was confiding in. Sighing she turned back to her duty as Jonin-sensei, and mission leader seriously wondering if her earlier decisions were good ones. While Kurenai was having her emotional battle Naruto had begun speaking again with a distant look in his eyes.

"It was after they arrived that I found out she had been carrying my son." Despite his best efforts the pain he felt saying that showed clear in his voice confusing Hinata until she heard his next words. "After I left she nearly had a breakdown, and because of the stress that put on her body she…she miscarried."

Even though Hinata had grown tremendously after she had made that vow when it was announced her beloved blonde had died she was still a gentle and kind girl at heart, and brought a hand to her mouth with tears in her eyes as she heard the agony in his words. "Oh, Naruto-san." She breathed not able to make her voice even reach whisper loud.

Naruto closed his eyes tightly taking a deep breath so as not to cry. After a moment he turned to look at Hinata his eyes wet with unshed tears making it look like his eyes were bleeding as the light from the setting sun reflected in them. "Because of me our son is dead." He said in a tone filled with so much sorrow, and self-loathing Hinata couldn't meet his gaze, and openly cried for the loss of his son. Hearing this Kurenai was very curious and more than a little concerned about what they had been talking about. After checking the sun's position she looked at the map, and made the decision to make camp a little early.

"We'll make camp here tonight." She said loud enough to be heard. "We will reach the boat early tomorrow, and we should be rested in case something happens. Shino, you and Tazuna will set up camp. Naruto, I want you to get some firewood, and if you find a source of water get enough for tonight, and tomorrow. Hinata, come with me." Kurenai said making a "follow me" gesture as she walked toward the trees away from where camp was being set up. After they had gone far enough Kurenai turned to Hinata her face full of worry. "What happened, Hinata?" She asked gently trying to get the girl to confide in her.

Hinata glanced back the way they had come from before sighing and sitting with her back against a tree. "I'm not sure if I should tell you, Kurenai-sensei. I don't want my teammates to think they can't trust me."

Kurenai knelt in front of Hinata, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I understand how you feel, Hinata, but as your Jonin-sensei I need to know what is going on with my team especially if it could compromise our mission."

Hinata looked at Kurenai conflicted for a moment, and glanced back towards camp once more before answering her voice pitched so it wouldn't carry. "Naruto-san has been in acting uncomfortable since we left Konoha, and it only has gotten worse so I asked him about it." She took a deep breath steeling herself.

"Do you know about his past?" She asked getting a slight nod in return.

"I know a little. He isn't exactly forthcoming about it. I do know he was trained outside the elemental countries, and was seeing someone before he came to Konoha." She said wondering what the girl had heard that she hadn't.

Hinata nodded at this, and activated her Byakugan briefly to make sure no one could overhear them. "Apparently she arrived in Konoha, and showed up at Naruto-san's house the morning we left." Hinata saw Kurenai's eyes widen at the implication of what that could mean.

'Oh shit! No wonder Naruto is upset…Wait if she showed up before the team meeting then wha…OH FUCK! That can't be good in any way if Anko did what she told me she was planning to!' Kurenai thought with only a widening of her eyes to give any indication of what was going on in her head.

"That's not all. He told me that she found out she was pregnant after he came to Konoha." Hinata saw Kurenai lean back expelling a large breath at hearing this. "From what he says she was very distraught about it, and miscarried their son." Hinata solemnly nodded seeing her sensei jerk her head up in surprise. "He blames himself for it too. I think you should talk with him, Kurenai-sensei. I'm worried about him."

Kurenai saw the concern for her teammate, and was honestly worried about him as well, but Hinata seemed to be showing a greater level of concern then for just a teammate. "Do you like him, Hinata?"

The girl started in shock at the words. "NO! He is a teammate, and _his_ brother." She said emphasizing the word quite forcefully.

"His?" Kurenai said in curiosity.

Hinata blushed slightly remembering the blonde she had fallen in love with years ago. "Uzumaki Naruto. Strife-san is his twin brother."

Kurenai had heard this, and was not surprised, but decided to play dumb to see what Hinata would say. Dismissing that thought for later she stood up, and brushed her knees off. "I think it's time we got back to camp. I will talk to Naruto later." Kurenai paused for a second wondering why they had the same first name.

Even though Kurenai didn't know she had given voice to the thought Hinata had heard her. "I asked Naruto-san about it after our first team meeting. He told me that he chose to take his brother's name after finding out about his life and subsequent death."

Kurenai couldn't help but wonder about where he got the information from considering it was an S class village secret, and became determined to find out just how much he knew. As she started walking back to camp she gestured for Hinata to follow as their discussion was over. The whole way back Kurenai's thoughts were chaotic despite her discipline as a jonin. Her thoughts ranged from how Naruto's emotional state would effect the mission to fantasizing about carrying his child in a flash much to her frustration. As they reentered camp Kurenai decided to put off talking to Naruto until she could get her head straight, and berated herself for letting her emotions get the better of her. 'I'm a jonin for Kami's sake!' She yelled in her head.

The next morning found the group breaking camp after a short breakfast when Shino's bugs alerted him to people approaching the camp. "There are four people incoming, Kurenai-sensei." He said stoically as he turned to face the direction the newcomers would arrive from. When he said this Hinata and Kurenai quickly moved to cover Tazuna while Naruto drew his zanbato ready to attack should the need arise. After getting into position Hinata activated her Byakugan scanning for them. After a few moments she relaxed, and called to her teammates.

"It's ok, Kurenai-sensei. It's Sasuke, Kiba, and Sakura with their sensei." She said as she moved from her juken stance, and the others did the same.

A few short minutes later sure enough Team 7 dropped from the trees and walked into camp. Kurenai walked towards Kakashi before stopping 10 feet in front of him crossing her arms as she did so.

"What's the deal, Kakashi? I doubt there was another mission in this area, and even if there was I highly doubt Hokage-sama would let your team take it." She said in a bad mood since she had not slept well due to her thoughts brought on by last night, and her growing attraction to Naruto.

The white haired jonin held up his hands defensively as he eye smiled. "Calm down, Kurenai, we are here under orders from the Hokage to act as your backup."

Kurenai most definitely did not like hearing this as it meant that there was trouble or the upper echelons did not have faith in her and her team. Now as any man knows a pissed off woman is never a good thing, and this was no exception as she glared at Kakashi then cut her eyes at Tazuna. Seeing his reaction to Team 7's appearance she raised an eyebrow at his nervous behavior. "Is there something you want to tell us, Tazuna-_san_?" She asked in harsh tone as she approached the bridge builder.

Tazuna's eyes darted around instinctively looking for an escape even though he knew it was impossible as he sweated profusely. "Wh…why would you think that? Heh heh" He said obviously distressed reaching for his jug of sake.

Everyone was suspicious by this point, and made this fact known by surrounding the old man. Akamaru went so far to growl from on top of Kiba's head, and Sasuke fingered a kunai. Tazuna taking notice of this glanced around the others until his eyes met Naruto's. As their eyes met the sweat seemed to freeze on Tazuna's face as he noticed the younger man's eyes seemed to glow an eerie green, and made the drunk feel like a rabbit looking at a wolf. Unconsciously he stepped back until he was met with a tree breaking him from the seemingly hypnotic gaze. Swallowing hard he decided it would be in his best interests to come clean with the ninja.

"No need to get aggressive ok?" He said holding his hands up trying to placate the deadly group around him. "I had no other choice. Please let me explain."

Kurenai glanced at Kakashi who just shrugged and eye smiled being of no help before looking at her team. Sighing she sat down on a log crossing her arms and legs. "This had better be good. Depending on what you say we may have to deem your contract null and void." She said glaring at Tazuna as she thought to herself. 'Great just great. First I can't get my best friend's fiancée out of my fantasies, and now this!'

It took half an hour for Tazuna to explain about Gato, Kaiza, the hardships that Wave has been going through, as well as his hopes about the bridge he was building. After hearing his story Kurenai looked over to Kakashi wanting his opinion about voiding the contract.

"What do you think Kakashi? This is definitely not a C rank mission more like a B or an A especially if Gato has hired any shinobi." She said worried about her genin.

Kakashi looked over the 6 newly graduated ninja assessing each one before answering. "This would be a good chance for our teams to get some "wet work" experience. Not to mention this is the exact kind of mission that would let us know if any of them aren't cut out for this line of work. On the other hand they are fresh from the academy. We have 2 jonin and 6 genin. We know that as high ranking clan members they are already near chunin level in combat, but we do have a couple wild cards. I know Sasuke and Kiba could handle themselves, but what about your team?"

"Hinata and Shino are as you'd expect being heirs Naruto … Well let's just say that I don't know if I could defeat him in combat." She said reluctantly trying not to let on how strong Naruto was as ordered by Sarutobi.

Kakashi was taken aback by what she said and looked at Naruto sizing him up carefully. He quickly noticed the relaxed yet ready stance he was in as well as the way his eyes scanned the area. Kakashi was surprised at this considering those were behaviors only experience brought out, and wondered about this mysterious teen. "We shouldn't have any issues with this mission, but why don't we see what our genin have to say about it?" He said curious about what the zanbato wielding boy would say.

Kurenai thought about this for a moment as she looked at her team. "I don't like this, but I agree that this would be a good experience for them." Standing up she called attention to herself, and addressed the teens. "Kakashi and I have discussed this, and would like your opinions before we make our official decision. What do you want to do about this?" She said turning to Shino.

The insect user adjusted his glasses before speaking. "We would be well justified to void our contract via the false pretences clause, and head back to Konoha right now. However if we do not handle the situation now Gato may grow into a much larger issue which would do no good for Konoha as it would become public knowledge we ended the contract prematurely."

"I agree, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata said as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "We cannot leave the people of Wave to Gato's nonexistent mercy. I vote to continue the mission, and eliminate Gato."

Kiba always ready for a fight put his two cents in. "Yeah let's kick his ass!" He said loudly followed by a bark from his K9 companion.

Sasuke ever the brooding emo simply said his usual. "Hn."

Sakura responded quickly in her typical fashion as president of the Sasuke Uchiha fan club. "What do we have to worry about? Sasuke-kun is the best ninja in the world!" She said turning to said duck-butt headed boy.

Kurenai turned to the one person who hadn't said anything so far, and saw him looking at Tazuna hard enough to make the old man sweat. "What do you think, Naruto-kun?" She said causing Kakashi to raise an eyebrow at the way she said his name, and Naruto to face her.

"As much as I want to cut our losses since he chose to endanger our lives by lieing instead of approaching the Hokage with his plea I have to agree with everyone else. I say we go on with the mission as long as it is amended to taking out Gato as well. We can't let people like him have their way, and like Shino said this could be a good political opportunity."

Kurenai glanced at Tazuna before turning to Kakashi with an eyebrow raised. "It seems to be unanimous. Since your team was sent as backup that puts me in charge. As a more experienced jonin I would like your input, but for any decisions about anything besides your own team you will have to get my approval first."

Kakashi eye smiled at Kurenai acknowledging the chain of command. "No problem, Kurenai. This is your mission after all."

"Good this mission is unbalanced as it is." Turning to the rest of the group she raised her voice with authority. "We will continue the mission, and eliminate Gato. Kiba and Naruto you have point. Hinata, you guard Tazuna with Sakura. Sasuke, you take the left side. Shino, you take the right side with your bugs spread out. Kakashi and I will take the rear. These are your assigned positions until we get to Tazuna's house. Hinata, I want your Byakugan active every 30 seconds until we are on the boat and active as much as possible after we land. Shino, I want your bugs to scout the area ahead. Kiba, keep your nose and ears sharp. Remember our main priority right now is to get Tazuna safely to his home. Assume formation!"

All had gone well for them as they reached the water, and traveled by boat courtesy of one of Tazuna's friends. Unfortunately this was not to last for shortly after landing in Wave they finally saw some of the men Gato had at his disposal. They had been traveling down a path away from the village to Tazuna's home when they were confronted by 20 armed mercenaries, bandits, wannabe samurai, and hired thugs blocking their path. The leader of the group stepped forward with a smirk and addressed the ninja.

"Give up the old man, and we might let you live after we have our fun with the girls." He said with the kind of arrogance that only those that pick on people weaker than them have as he leered at Kurenai.

Kakashi stepped forward representing the group. "Sorry, but we can't do that. It would be bad for our reputation."

The arrogant man sneered at the ninja as he raised a fist over his head. "Kill them all, but bring the red eyed woman to me." With that said he dropped his hand sending his forces to attack.

While this had been going on the Konoha ninja had not been idle. Kurenai had been giving hand signals to give orders, and they were obeyed as each of them got ready. Sakura and Hinata edged closer to Tazuna, Shino spread his bugs out, Kiba readied a pill to perform his family's beast clone jutsu, Sasuke got ready to cast a fire jutsu, and Naruto drew his sword one handed and gathered the required chakra for what he had planned. As soon as they enemy started to move Naruto released the chakra as he yelled out. **"QUAKERA"** With the yell the ground in the center of the enemy exploded in a 10 yard radius sending spikes of earth and stone spearing through them. Kiba following Naruto's lead opened up with his Clan's infamous **Getsuuga **taking out 2 people with Kakashi running in right behind dealing damage with a kunai. Sasuke not to be out done quickly ran through hand signs before shouting out. **"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu"** The fireball sped quickly and exploded to the left of Naruto's attack taking out several of the mercs. All told the initial attacks took out 12 of the enemy leaving 8 plus the leader.

Quickly following the attacks Naruto, Kiba, and Kakashi rushed the enemy leaving the rest of the group in the ordered diamond formation. Unfortunately Sasuke rushed them as well leaving the left side unguarded. With everyone focused on the enemy before them there was a group of 5 mercs hiding on the side of the road, and attacked the flank Sasuke had so kindly left open. Hinata did not notice them until they began the attack since she had not activated her Byakugan, but Kurenai had and moved to intercept them.

"Sakura!" She yelled gaining the girl's attention too late, and used Shunshin to get between her and the attackers.

Trying to block the attack Kurenai succeeded but at the price of a gash along her side from a sword. She winced in pain, but she was a jonin for a reason and quickly dispatched the man. Hinata who had frozen momentarily quickly moved on the offensive using juken taking out another of the hired thugs with a 8 hit combo that started on the man's arm and ended with a fully powered strike to the heart ending his life. Shino who was on the opposite side sent his bugs in a swarm at the remaining 3 attackers as he moved closer to Tazuna keeping a careful watch on the surrounding area in case of another ambush.

Sakura meanwhile stood shaking with a sweaty grip on her kunai unable to believe the slaughter happening before her. She had been trained at the academy like everyone else, and had heard stories about some of the missions, but what she was seeing was the reality. It wasn't some fairy tale battle of honor and glory. It was murder, bloody horrifying murder. She watched Kiba, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Naruto rip into the enemy unable to take her eyes away in much the same way someone who saw a gruesome car accident would. She was so enmeshed in the scene she didn't even react to Kurenai's shout or the enemy to the side.

The rushing assault from trained ninja was more than the mercs could handle, and the 9 remaining quickly turned into 3 by the time Kurenai's shout was heard. Naruto, who had just split a man from hip to shoulder looked back in time to see Kurenai get sliced open, and ran back leaving the others to finish the job. Silently he cast **Haste** on himself doubling his speed, and slammed into the remaining 3 ambushers sending one head flying in the process. Thrown off balance by his sudden arrival the attackers as well as Kurenai and Hinata paused, and before they knew it the last 2 were cleaved in two just below their ribs. Taking a quick glance he saw Kakashi, Kiba, and Sasuke walking back looking bloody but otherwise fine. With their being no more need to fight he placed his sword on his back before quickly moving to Kurenai.

"Lay down, Kurenai-chan, and I'll check your wound." He said helping her to the ground. Carefully he examined the wound as light green chakra began to coat his hands. "It's not too bad so I'll have this healed in a moment." He said reassuringly as he placed his hands over the wound casting **Regen** to help with the blood loss then **Cure** to complete the healing procedure. After only a couple minutes the wound was completely healed with only a very faint pale line to give any indication it had existed.

"Kurenai-chan, please try to be more careful. If I didn't bring you back in one piece Anko would skin me alive." Naruto said with only a little humor in his voice since he cared for her greatly as a friend.

The red eyed woman in question marveled at how soft his touch was as he healed her wound, and couldn't help but wonder how gentle he was in other areas before quickly shoving the thought away in shame. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I'm glad you haven't lost your gentle touch after spending so much time with Anko." She said before blushing a few seconds later realizing the innuendo in her words.

Kakashi who was by this point close enough to have heard this raised an eyebrow filing this away since he knew this was not the time to talk with her about this. "Are you ok to move, Kurenai?" He asked as his eyes inspected the others who were either uninjured or only had minor wounds.

Kurenai slowly stood up stretching a little to test her new flesh, and nodded. "Hai I'm just a little tired. We can move out as soon as everyone is ready." She turned to Sasuke as her eyes hardened glaringly. "Uchiha Sasuke, front and center!" She yelled gruffly gaining the boy's attention.

Sasuke sauntered over expecting to be praised for the 4 mercs he had taken out, and smirked as he gave a mock salute. "Hai, Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai's temper only got worse seeing such a blatant display of arrogance, and let it enter her voice. "You have disobeyed a direct order, abandoned your post, and endangered the lives of you teammates, fellow Konoha ninja, and a contracted client. This will go on report, and if you try something like this again I will not only have your shinobi license revoked, but have you up on charges!"

Sasuke was at first surprised but quickly grew angry at being scolded. "I am an Uchiha! You don't have the right to do any such thing! You should be kneeling before me like the rest of the useless whores calling themselves konoichi!" He retorted with arrogant anger.

When Naruto heard the "Golden Boy" he quickly moved from his position just a few feet from Kurenai, and hit him in the jaw with a backfist sending him to the ground before placing his boot on Sasuke's throat. "You are a pathetic fool! Under the shinobi code of conduct laws I could kill you right now, and probably get a commendation for it. In case you have forgotten, if you even read the rules, insubordination in the field can be punished by death if the ranking member of the team chooses to." Naruto practically growled out adding pressure to his foot causing Sasuke to choke slightly, and grab his leg in an attempt to relieve the pressure. "The only thing stopping me is that Kurenai-chan has yet to give the order, but I will tell you this. If you _ever_ speak to her like that again or disobey her orders on a whim I will kill you on the spot no questions asked. Do I make myself clear you piece of shit?" He leaned down causing the tread of his boots to dig into the flesh just above Sasuke's collarbone.

Sasuke tried to push the boot off his throat to no avail as he struggled to breath. After a few moments he stopped and glared at Naruto croaking out an affirmative response.

"Good. Now get your shit together, and be ready to move out." The pissed off blonde said as he backed off grudgingly reigning in his KI.

Kakashi had watched the scene wanting to interfere, but knew Sasuke had earned this by his own actions. As he watched he couldn't help but notice the look Kurenai was giving Naruto behind his back. His eyes widened slightly seeing not just approval, but if he was right…love. He decided that as soon as the opportunity presented itself he would have a long talk with his fellow jonin about fraternizing with subordinates. Sighing inwardly at this complication he signaled the rest of his team to get back into formation, and they were quickly joined by the rest of the genin except Naruto, who stayed near Kurenai on the chance she needed more medical aid.

In short order everyone was ready, and the jonin took note of who would need to be talked with about the killing they had done. Out of those that had fought only 3 seemed to be affected by the deaths, and each was a genin. Kiba kept rubbing his nose before staring at his hands, Sasuke was clenching and unclenching his hands, and Hinata despite her resolve and training was shaky, and her eyes kept darting everywhere like a rabbit sensing a hawk. Glancing at each other the jonin decided to talk at Tazuna's with each of them, and Kurenai gave the order to move out with Tazuna now being carried by Kakashi as they moved at ninja speed toward their destination.

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Having gotten word his men had failed a short balding man with a cane yelled at his subordinates for being incompetent. It took him well over an hour to calm down, but when he did his greedy little mind came up with an idea that would not only get the job done, it would cost him nothing.

Several days later the little man met with a tall well built man with bandages over his face, and a large sword on his back, and a smaller person that was dressed as a hunter nin complete with mask. The man with the cane leaned back in his chair and addressed the large ninja.

"You have heard the offer, Zabuza. Do you accept?"

Zabuza looked him over as well as the contract on the desk before nodding his head. "Yeah I accept. 10 million for the head of the bridge builder plus any expenses while in your service. You have a deal, Gato."


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I would like to thank Shocktroop for agreeing to Beta my fics. I also want to thank everyone who reviewed, and say that I am glad you like this fic so much. Lastly I would like to apologize for how long it has taken to get this chapter out. Unfortunately life has been a real pain lately, and screwed a lot up.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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The first couple days spent at Tazuna's house were spent formulating plans, scouting the area, and setting up traps that would sound an alarm if the wrong people tried to approach the house. Guard duty was split into two shifts where one team would guard Tazuna at the bridge the other would guard his daughter and grandson at the house. It had taken 3 days to get everything settled, and it was on the 4th day before Kakashi had a chance to speak with Kurenai privately. They were scouting the woods while Team 7 guarded Tazuna and Team 8 the rest of his family, and were about 2 miles from the house before he broached the subject.

"Kurenai there is something I think we need to talk about." Kakashi said seriously causing the rookie jonin to look at him curiously.

"What is it?" She said coming to a stop on the next branch she landed on.

Landing on the same branch he sighed knowing this had to be approached delicately. "I saw something after the fight, and since that has me a little concerned. Don't take any offence to this please." He said holding his hands in front of his chest palms facing her. "As a fellow jonin sensei I have to know…Are you showing favoritism on your team?"

"What are you talking about?" She said crossing her arms starting to get angry at the accusation.

"I've seen the way you look at Strife." He said simply.

Kurenai dropped her arms to her sides, and looked away from him. "It's nothing, Kakashi. He's already engaged to Anko, and Tenten." Her voice dropped to a whisper at this point. "Not to mention his first love has shown up."

Kakashi's experienced ears picked it up despite how softly she spoke, and had to wonder even more about the enigma that was Strife Naruto. "I'm being serious, Kurenai. I need to know if your feelings are going to affect not only the mission, but your team as well. If you can't control yourself I'll have to inform Hokage-sama about it, and neither of us would like that." He said trying to sound sympathetic.

She sighed deeply and leaned her back against the tree knowing he was right, and only doing his duty. "I know what you are trying to say, Kakashi, and you are right. I don't know when or how I started to fall for him, but I won't let it interfere with my duty as a jonin sensei. He doesn't know how I feel, and I plan on keeping that way. Anko is my best friend and I don't want to break her heart by trying to steal her fiancée especially after all she's been through in her life. She deserves to be happy." Her tone was morose the whole time, and towards the end had started to crack behind the weight of the emotions she was trying to keep at bay. When she spoke the last sentence her arms were wrapped around her stomach as she started to cry.

Kakashi seeing the "Ice Queen of Konoha" actually break down in tears widened his eye in shock realizing just how truly she loved the blonde teen. Running a hand through his hair he tried to think of something to say to make her feel better, and was drawing a total blank. Finally he settled for placing a hand on her shoulder, and spoke kindly to her. "It'll be ok, Kurenai. I'm sure you'll figure something out." He said lamely patting her on the shoulder. "If it gets too bad you could always talk to Anko about it since you two are best friends right?"

Kurenai's head jerked up at his words fear showing in her eyes at what Anko would do to her in a jealous rage, until she realized that Anko probably wouldn't mind sharing him. As she processed that thought her tears slowed and finally stopped. Kakashi handed her a handkerchief with an eye smile.

"See? Nothing to worry about. Now we should finish scouting so we can get back, and you can get yourself together." He said kindly.

Kurenai nodded with newfound hope, and wiped her face clean. "Of course. Let's get going." She said before jumping to another tree father along their route.

Kakashi sighed at the situation as he followed her through the trees. 'What a mess. This is the last thing we need on a mission like this. I really hope we can find Gato, and eliminate him soon so we can get back to Konoha.'

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In a cabin deep in the woods Gato was talking with Zabuza, and he really disliked the way he was being yelled at.

"What the hell are you doing? I am paying you a lot of money to take care of the bridge builder, and all you are doing is sitting on your ass while he get more of the bridge done every day! If you don't do something soon I will find someone else that can get the job done!" He yelled at the large man, and attempted to poke him with his cane.

When he tried to hit Zabuza the cane was suddenly slashed into pieces by a bladed gauntlet that was quite obviously dripping with poison.

"You really have no idea who you are fucking with, little man. Tazuna will die before the bridge is complete. Now I suggest you leave before you're usefulness drops below what you are paying us." The owner of the gauntlet said emitting a good amount of KI.

Gato backed up behind his so called samurai, and growled. "Fine, but make sure it gets done or you won't get paid!" He yelled before storming out leaving Zabuza and the other shinobi alone.

"You didn't have to do that, Gozo. We need the money he is paying us." Zabuza said as he put his feet up on the table.

"I know, but he pisses me off. You should have the bishi partner of yours assassinate him, and raid his treasury. I hate dealing with egotistical people like him that can't back up their mouths."

"I have to agree with brother on this, Zabuza. I have a bad feeling about working for this guy." Meizo said as he appeared from hiding.

"As nuke nin we don't have many options, and Haku is scouting the area along with the people Tazuna has hired. Until we have the information just relax. We'll attack after a plan is made, and when the enemy is complacent."

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A few days later Shino was deep in the woods shortly after dawn in search of new species of bugs to catalog. He was crouched down watching a beetle crawl through the grass when his bugs alerted him to someone approaching. As usual he had his bugs watch her while he positioned some near him incase of an attack. Turning his head slightly when the sound of the person walking reached him he saw it was a girl in a light blue kimono with white stripes carrying a small basket. The girl stopped for a moment at seeing him, but continued on in short order.

"Good morning." The girl said with a polite smile.

Shino turned his head to fully face her, but kept the beetle in his vision. "Good morning." He replied in his usual stoic tone.

"It's unusual to see someone in this part of the woods. Are you lost?" She asked as she picked a small flowering plant, and placed it in her basket.

"No I am not lost. I am cataloging some of the insect species I have found in the forest."

"That sounds interesting. Have you found anything new?" She asked as she continued to fill her basket.

"Nothing that has not already been cataloged by other members of my family."

They continued to talk like this for several more minutes until Sakura showed up.

"There you are, Shino. Kurenai-sensei wanted me to find you to let you know breakfast was ready." The pink haired girl said slightly out of breath.

"Thank you, Sakura. I will return momentarily." Shino said stoically as he stood up. "It has been good to talk with you this morning. Thank you for the conversation." He said bowing respectfully to the girl.

Sakura not having noticed the girl before opened her eyes wider seeing the beautiful girl picking herbs, and couldn't help but blush in envy seeing the grace the girl moved with as she stood up and returned Shino's bow.

"You are very welcome. I enjoyed it a lot." The dark haired girl said as she picked up her basket.

Shino had turned away and was walking back toward Tazuna's, but stopped at a few feet away. "Are you coming, Sakura?" He asked since the pinkette hadn't moved since seeing the unknown girl.

"Huh? Oh…Yes!" She said blushing again as she ran after the bug user.

The girl held her basket watching them disappear through the trees with a thoughtful look on her face. "Hmmm…They seem to be nothing more than low level ninja, and certainly not capable of what Gato told us. That boy could be a little dangerous though. I'll have to inform Zabuza-sama about this before I do some more scouting."

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Over the next two weeks the Konoha ninja took turns guarding the family and trained. During this time a strained atmosphere had been growing around the jonin and Naruto. Kakashi always seemed to be watching what was going on, and redirecting any questions from the genin. Kurenai grew ever more withdrawn, and could often be heard crying at night. Naruto was more irritable every day, and when not on guard duty would train for hours on end. The tension spread to the other ninja making them jumpy, and walk on egg shells whenever around the three. Hinata had attempted many times to try to find out what was bothering the woman who had become like a mother to her, but each attempt had failed. Each time she thought about what might be the cause she could only come to one conclusion…Naruto. Something was going on that was being hidden from the genin. She knew that no answers would come from Naruto or Kurenai so she decided to confront Kakashi. She finally got an opportunity when he was looking out over the water after dinner.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you have a few minutes?" Asked Hinata trying to keep her voice calm.

The man turned his head to her having noticed a bit of concern in her voice. "What can I help you with, Hinata?"

"I know there is something going on that we are not being told. Naruto-san is more on edge with each passing day. Kurenai-sensei is full of pain, and I can tell it is tearing her apart from within. My team is falling apart, Kakashi-sensei, and I don't know why."

Kakashi sighed heavily, and silently prayed to Obito for answers. "They are dealing with personal matters, Hinata. All we can do is complete our mission, and watch over them. You and Shino have to be strong. It falls to both of you to keep your team whole. I failed my team. Do not fail yours." He said with great sadness as he thought about the current situation, as well as Obito and Rin and how he had failed both of them.

Hinata heard the pain and sadness in Kakashi's voice for it conveyed what she had felt ever since her childhood love had died. She looked up at him her eyes wet with unshed tears. "Surely there is something we could do? I cannot let Kurenai-sensei and Naruto-san continue like this. We have to help them."

Kakashi knew she was right, but was at a total loss at what to do. "I don't know if we can help them. Let them know you are there for them, but let them make the first move. If they do ask for your help give it to them. They are fighting their own demons, and will need all the strength you can give them."

Hinata wiped her eyes wondering just what the problem was if Kakashi's demeanor was any indication of how bad things were. She took a deep breath and resolved to aid her teammates in any way she could. "I will not fail them. I failed the love of my life and I will not repeat the same mistake with my team." The girl bowed before heading back inside.

Kakashi watched her until the door shut behind her, and looked to the window of Kurenai's room. "You should tell him. You are only hurting yourself, and those around you." Sighing deeply he looked up at the stars seeing the faces of those he had failed to his regret. "I'm sorry." He whispered seeing the faces of his dead teammates.

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A few nights later when everyone was sitting down for dinner Tazuna's grandson Inari suddenly slammed his hand on the table gaining everyone's attention.

"You are all fools! What makes you think that people like you who haven't suffered could understand what we are going through?"

Everyone was shocked into silence by the boy's words, but that quickly ended when Naruto stood up so forcefully that the chair he was sitting on slammed into the wall behind him.

"Haven't suffered?" The blonde said in a voice so cold that it even sent shivers down Kakashi's spine. "What would a _child_ like you know of suffering? On the day my twin brother and I was born our parents died. I was sent away to a distant land for my protection, and my brother… My brother had a demon lord sealed within him." At this point anger, sorrow, regret, pain, and an immense sense of loss could be felt rolling off of him in waves. "A year ago I was forced to leave the woman I fell in love with, only to find out later that because of my departure she miscarried our son. Finally when I do return to the village we were born in I find out that my brother was _murdered_ by the same people our father had died to protect, but that was only after years of beating, torture, ridicule, theft, swindling, and abuse. Don't you _**ever**_ say that you know what it means to suffer!" Naruto finished nearly shouting the last words glaring at Inari with such force that the child visibly shook from its intensity.

The reactions of the gathered people were mostly of pure shock and disbelief with a few exceptions. Sasuke merely harrumphed and turned his head away. Shino's eyebrows had risen so far they were hidden in his hair. Sakura and Tsunami were both openly crying. Hinata, though she had tears in her eyes at hearing that her beloved was murdered, stared at Naruto praying that he was lying about the boy who had died before she could tell him of her love.

"A…A…Ano. Is that true, Naruto-san? Was his life really that bad?" Her tone clearly begging him to say it was a lie.

Naruto turned his eyes from Inari to Hinata and stared at her for what seemed several long minutes before he reached into his vest, and pulled out an old beat up book. The look in Naruto's eyes softened after a moment of looking at the item before putting it back, and walking out the door. The sound of the door closing seemed to have the effect of sending everyone back into motion once again evidenced by Kiba emitting a deep growl at Inari. "His brother was my best friend you little shit! Strife-san won't harm you, but I suggest you keep your mouth shut from now on or I will rip your tongue out!" Kiba stormed out of the house more violently than Naruto had followed by his canine companion Akamaru.

Kakashi sighed deeply thinking about the friends and family he had lost over the years, and looked at Kurenai only to see her clutching herself as she stared at the door silently weeping. "Unfortunately what he said is true. Each of us has suffered great losses, and have learned to live with it, each in our own way. Right now we should eat so that Tsunami-san's cooking doesn't go to waste."

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While events were unfolding with Naruto a small group of women was heading to the Hokage's tower. The tallest was feared by almost everyone in Konoha for her sadistic tendencies, the shortest was well known to casually carry enough weapons to arm a small country, and the last member of the group, though even more dangerous than the other 2 combined, was a complete unknown in Konoha. Each woman had an expression on their faces that clearly said that if anyone got in their way there would be more pain than could be imagined. This is why the Hokage's secretary let them in without hesitation when they arrived at his office. Walking in Anko, Yuffie, and Tenten moved to stand side by side infront of Sarutobi's desk.

"We need to talk, Hokage-sama." Anko said forcefully drawing the old man's attention.

Looking up from the paperwork he took note of her companions before addressing the tokubetsu jonin. "Judging by the look on your face this is important, but why don't you introduce me to your friend first?"

The woman in question crossed her arms as her eyes hardened. "Cut the crap! You know damn well who I am, and don't even try to deny it. Now tell us why you think all these fucking secrets are so important that you have let koishii go through hell?"

Despite her tone, and obvious disrespect Sarutobi just sighed deeply. "There are reasons for what has happened, Kisaragi-san. Many of which involve classified information that even Anko-san doesn't have the clearance for."

"That's bullshit!" Yuffie yelled while glaring at him. "Do you have any idea what he went through in this village before we met? Can you even imagine the number of times he was beaten, poisoned, abused, tortured, and nearly raped? You can try to justify it however you want, but the "For the good of the village" excuse isn't going to cut it with us."

The Hokage winced at each account of the harm the village has done to Naruto over the years, and easily understood how the women before him felt. Closing his eyes tightly he took a deep breath before gesturing for them to sit. "You have to understand that even though I am the Hokage my hands were mostly tied concerning Naruto. I did what I could for him as did others, but there was only so much we could do without putting not only our families at risk, but the security of the village as well. The Ichiraku's were only one of the families that suffered from trying to help Naruto."

"Wait. What do you mean?"

Sarutobi took off the Hokage hat, and set it on the table before running a hand through his hair. "Naruto doesn't even know this, but when he was 7 Teuchi tried to adopt him. Unfortunately because he was a civilian it had to be approved by the Civilian Council. Over the next week there were many threats most of which he ignored, until they started targeting Ayame." Seeing their shocked faces he nodded solemnly. "That's right. When he refused to bow to their wishes they made a point of putting more than her life in danger, and he had no choice but to back off to keep his only daughter safe. Luckily she was in school at the time so she doesn't know either. Do you see now the kind of people I have had to deal with over the years?"

The women were speechless hearing the lengths the villagers would go to in order to torment the man they love. Silence held the room in its' oppressive grasp for several long minutes before it was finally broken by Yuffie. "Even though I don't like it I can understand your position, but no more secrets." Yuffie raised her eyes to look at the old man. "Tell us everything."

Saratobi Hiruzen sighed deeply refilling his pipe, and set it to the side before pulling a bottle of warm sake from a drawer of his desk. Reaching into the drawer once more he brought out a saucer with intricate designs on it that his late wife Biwako had hand painted. He stared at it silently for a moment before setting it down and filling it with sake. Slowly he lifted the saucer, downing the contents quickly before refilling it once more. With that done he used a small fire jutsu to light his pipe take a long draw from it before looking at each of the women before him.

"I guess I should start from the beginning…"

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The sun was about an hour from reaching the horizon when the girls could be seen walking out of the Hokage's tower. The expressions they each wore would have fit perfectly at a funeral, which is unsurprising considering what they had just found out. Their steps were shuffling in an almost zombie like way as they tried to put their minds back into some semblance of order when suddenly Anko's stomach growled loudly protesting the fact she had eaten almost nothing all day.

With a forced chuckle she gave the other 2 a sickly smile. "I haven't eaten anything since our talk this morning."

Tenten rubbed her own stomach as she sighed being in the same situation, while Yuffie checked the sun's position. "Considering how late it is we should eat out. Do either of you know a good place?" The dimensional traveler asked.

"Yeah I know just the place. The food is great, and we won't be bothered there since it is mostly frequented by jonin. Plus they have cheap sake which I am sure we all could use right now." The snake mistress said licking her lips at the thought of dango.

"No shit." Tenten mumbled as Yuffie nodded her head. "Alright lead the way." Yuffie gestured towards the road ahead of them signaling for Anko to take the lead.

About 10 minutes later found the trio entering a place with a sign that read "The Swirling Leaf". Tenten and Yuffie looked around the place as they followed Anko to a table near the back. In short order a waitress showed up to take their orders, and Anko made sure to impress upon the girl that the sake was to be kept flowing as long as they were there. While they were just trying to relax during the time it took the order to be filled a tall blond haired man with a long ponytail, wearing the standard uniform of grey pants, shirt, and black trench coat that signified the ANBU's Torture and Interrogation division walked over to the table.

"Hey, Anko. I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd still be breaking in your fiancé." The man said with a smile before taking a drink from the glass of sake he held.

Anko's normal reaction to a comment like this would be to laugh and make some scathing remark, but what he got instead was for a morose look to cross her features before she looked sadly down at the table fiddling with a napkin. Caught off guard by this the man quickly glanced at her companions noting that they had similar auras about them. Being from the infamous T&I this sent red flags and clarion calls to him practically screaming something was wrong. Taking a serious yet sympathetic expression he sat down at the empty chair setting his glass down carefully.

"What's wrong, Anko? It's not like you to act like this." He said quietly while using his skills to observe the three girls.

Anko sighed deeply casting a glance at the other two before shrugging. "It's been a long day, Inoichi, and we got some unsettling news about Naru-kun. It doesn't help that he suddenly got sent on a mission out of country."

"If it's something you can talk about I'm willing to lend an ear if you need it."

Inoichi hid his surprise and curiosity when he saw Anko surreptitiously look to a woman he had never seen before as if she was deferring to her on the subject. Taking a slow sip of his sake he examined the byplay going on as a feeling in his gut told him this was a situation that was trouble, and more complicated than getting Orochimaru to stop groping little boys.

"Maybe later, after we've had time to get our heads on straight. Right now we're just trying to absorb the news, and get something to eat since it's too late to cook at home, Inoichi-san." The unknown woman said drawing more of his attention.

Taking a closer look at her upon hearing the way she spoke he wasn't sure if he liked what he saw. She was sitting with her hands in her lap seemingly relaxed, but the slight tensing of certain muscles told him she was ready to move into action in an instant. They way she glanced around the room only accentuated that she was an experienced warrior. While there were no signs of how powerful she was the way Anko, and the teen girl seemed to follow her lead did not bode well to him. With his suspicions raised he couldn't help but wonder if this was some foreign konoichi infiltrating the village. Resolving to speak with the Hokage about this his hand moved in a casual way that any member of ANBU would recognize. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a motion that said the movement wasn't unnoticed. Standing up he placed his hand on Anko's shoulder, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Whatever the problem is I'm sure it will work out in the end. Just remember that you have friends willing to help whenever you need it." Giving her shoulder a slight squeeze he turned, and walked away picking up his barely touched sake.

Noticing the curious look from Yuffie Anko smiled at her. "That was Yamanaka Inoichi. He's the head of the Yamanaka clan, and a good friend. I work with him and Morino Ibiki at the T&I division. He is one of the few people I trust in this village."

Yuffie nodded her head knowing that if he could still be trusted after what today has brought than he wasn't someone to worry about. Tenten on the other hand looked fearfully to the man who was now sitting at the bar with a few other Jonin having heard horror stories about him just as she had Ibiki. Any further conversation came to an end as their food and sake arrived, and the rest of the time there was spent in silence as each woman ate almost mechanically while deep in thought. After their meal they sat talking quietly about minor things while drinking sake. Deciding to call it a night the girls left the restaurant to head home. After stumbling around for a couple blocks they leaned on each other for support, and made their slightly more stable way back home.

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Inoichi had waited nearly 30 minutes before leaving the bar so he wouldn't draw suspicion from the girls. When he was sure he was far enough from the bar he took to the roofs, and made it in record time to the Hokage Tower. Running up the stairs he went straight to the Hokage's office, and walked in not bothering to knock.

"Hokage-sama, we have a problem." He said before noticing that the old man had several empty sake bottles on his desk, and was very wobbly as he set the sake dish down on the desk.

"Wha ish it, Inoshi-shan." He slurred as he fumbled for his pipe.

Inoichi stared in shock never having though to ever see the man known as the "Shinobi no Kami" drunk off his ass. "It's about Anko, and her future sister-wife Tenten. I think they may be in trouble. I saw them earlier at the Swirling Leaf with an unknown woman, and Anko was not only depressed, but she was actually acquiescing to her!"

Hiruzen had finally managed to get his pipe filled, and lit while Inoichi was talking. He blew out a large cloud of smoke emitting a drunken giggle causing Inoichi's eyes to widen. "Ish noshing to worry about. Jush a family matter. Ash for da woman she ish one of Nartu's fianshés."

Inoichi was seriously considering doing a mind scan on the old man cause he wasn't sure what was just said, but pushed the thought aside for now as the Hokage didn't seem to be concerned from his actions, though it may just have been the sake in his system.

"Ok, Sir. I'll come back in the morning and give you a full report then." Inoichi said hesitantly.

Hiruzen waved with a drunken grin, and fumbled for one of the bottles knocking it on to the floor. Inoichi shook his head at seeing the leader of the village in such a state, and left quietly shutting the door behind him having serious doubts about the visit being remembered tomorrow.

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The next morning Tenten walked down the stairs cringing at the slightest noise slowly making her way to the kitchen. Wincing at the light coming in through the window she made her way to the table, and sat down groaning loudly much to Yuffie, and Anko's amusement.

"I take it this is your first hangover?" Anko said with a chuckle earning a glare from the teen girl.

"My head feels like something is trying to claw its way out, and my stomach is churning like the bottom of a waterfall." Tenten said dejectedly.

Anko chuckled as she got up to make some kind of concoction for Tenten while Yuffie smiled at the teen restraining her mirth. "Don't worry it'll pass. You also build a tolerance after a while."

"Ugh. I don't plan on doing that often enough to even start to tolerate this." Tenten said holding her head with her elbows on the table.

Anko still chuckling at the teenager's discomfort placed a glass in front of her. "We all say that in the beginning, but with the life we lead sake has a tendency to make a normal place alongside the kunai. Here drink this. Make sure to down it as quickly as possible."

Tenten eyed the glass, and felt her stomach churn at the disturbing look of the contents. "Is it poison?"

Anko and Yuffie both laughed at that, and shook their heads. "No it's a morning after remedy for hangovers. It tastes awful, but it works." Yuffie said before taking a sip of her tea.

Tenten debated with herself about drinking the weird substance, and finally decided that even if it was poison she couldn't feel worse than what she already was. Slowly taking hold of the glass she grimaced at the smell before chugging the glass. "GAH! That tastes like the inside of Lee's sandals after one of his extreme training sessions with Gai-sensei!" She exclaimed gagging slightly.

The two older women watched Tenten's dramatics with much amusement as they sat at the table sipping their tea. After a few minutes during which Tenten had finished gagging, and down 2 glasses of water in an attempt to rinse the taste from her mouth, Yuffie set her cup down with a loud thump gain the others' attention. Yuffie looked at Anko and Tenten as if trying to discern the depths of their souls.

"Do you still love him?" Yuffie asked as her eyes evaluated their reactions to the not so simple question.

Anko sighed softly, and placed her tea cup down tracing the edges of the handle. She knew the answer, and held fast to it. She had years to deal with some of what they had been told, but it was all new to Tenten, and wondered if what she had heard the day before changed anything for the young konoichi. Anko glanced at Yuffie only giving a slight nod before turning her attention to Tenten who had gone still at the question with a glass of water halfway to her lips. After a few seconds the lithe brunette lowered her hands to the edge of the counter letting the glass slip into the sink. The two older women watched her silently waiting for her to speak first.

After a long moment Tenten finally spoke with a voice filled with emotion, and her hangover forgotten. "How can you ask that?" Pain clear in her voice as her grip tightened on the edge of the counter. "Naruto… He has been through so much, and still manages to smile and care for others. Where others would have reveled in slaughtering the entire village he…he wants nothing more than a family to love, and be loved by." Tenten's form became hunched as she leaned over the sink slightly. The fact she was crying was not lost on Anko and Yuffie, but they didn't move as they waited for the teen to sort herself out.

After a few minutes Tenten managed to get control of herself, and took a deep breath before turning around with tears still sliding down her face. "He deserves as much as we can give him. Everything I have I give to him freely." The teen's eyes became filled with resolve as she pulled a kunai from one of the many places she keeps them secreted upon her person at all times. Not moving her eyes from Yuffie's she slowly slid the blade along her palm, and let the blood pool in her hand before tilting it slightly to allow the blood to drip onto the floor. "I swear by this blood freely given. To guard him, protect him, and love him in this life and the next even at the cost of my own life."

Yuffie watched her expressionlessly while Anko smiled proudly at the genin, while Yuffie stood up and walked over to her. She looked down at the shorter girl for a moment before taking the kunai from her, and slashing her own hand. Grabbing her wrist she brought Tenten's hand up, and pressed their bleeding hands together. "An oath sworn in love, and sealed by blood. No harm will not touch _our_ beloved except over our corpses."

Tenten and Yuffie smiled at each other when another bloody hand was placed on top of theirs. Looking over they saw Anko with a look as hard as steel. "So it is sworn so shall it be." The purple haired jonin said as her grip tightened none of them paying attention to the small puddle of blood growing at their feet. They stood together like that bonding in spirit as well as blood before they broke apart to tend to their wounds. Anko had to apply a low level medical jutsu to Tenten since she had cut much deeper then she intended, and had almost severed some of the tendons in her hand. After their injuries had been taken care of they sat at the table getting to know each other better. Nearly two hours later, after Yuffie had told them about what Naruto had done to get back at Cid for taking a picture of them while they were celebrating their 6 month anniversary at the Golden Saucer; Tenten got a thoughtful look on her face.

"I'm really curious about something. Naruto never talks about it, but how did you get here, Yuffie?" The brunette girl asked.

Yuffie sighed as the answer was directly related to her miscarriage. "All we know about how Naru-koi got there was that it involved the life stream. So after my…recovery I went to Nanaki, and asked him about the life stream, and his thoughts about Naruto's arrival. I learned a lot from him, but we were still at a loss as to what the connection was, so after I left there I sought out a man named Hojo. He is a genius of the first order, but it he also totally insane. He will do whatever it takes in the pursuit of knowledge, and the advancement of science. It was 3 months before he had a breakthrough, and with Nanaki's help, he was able to build a device that locked onto koi's communicator, and tapped into the lifestream through a Mako reactor. After many experiments Hojo was finally able to transport objects, and small life forms. With the continuing successes he built a prototype. When I heard the news I was overjoyed, and tried to get him to let me use it. He refused saying that it needed further testing to find out a way to return what was sent." Yuffie looked into her cup spinning it back and forth in her hands for a long moment as Tenten and Anko waited for her to finish her story. Yuffie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again.

"I was upset, and fought Hojo. I ended up knocking him out, and used the device before the guards arrived. I didn't care about going back as long as I was able to be with Naru-koi again. I used the device to send myself here, and arrived in the kitchen behind him. You know the rest." She said still looking into her tea cup.

Tenten and Anko spent the next few minutes gathering their thoughts on what Yuffie had said before Anko finally nodded to herself. "You haven't gotten over it have you?" She said softly her heart going out to the woman across from her.

Yuffie winced, and her hands tightened on the cup as she heard Anko's words. She looked into the jonin's eyes her pain and guilt clear in her eyes. Anko reach across the table, and placed her hand on Yuffie's gently squeezing it as if to say "It will be alright." Anko looked at Tenten for a moment before smiling at Yuffie.

"It's settled. You will be the Matriarch of the Strife Clan." The I&T member said grinning like the Cheshire cat.

Tenten looked at Anko in surprise. "Don't you think that is Naruto's decision to make? It is his clan after all, and I put in just as much effort into it as he has, so why shouldn't I be Matriarch?"

"First off you are the lowest ranked ninja here as well as the youngest. Secondly she has known Naruto the longest. Third: You and I both have ninja duties while she isn't part of the military forces. You also have to consider that the Matriarch will also have to be a part of the Council when Naruto can't. You would be laughed at because of your age, and most of the village hates me almost as much as they did Naruto's "brother". Anyway I imagine that she plans of giving our Naruto the family he always wanted very soon." She said counting off on her fingers, and smirking at the end.

Yuffie blushed at what Anko had said while Tenten look thoughtful for a moment. "Ok I agree with you on that she does make a better choice then you or me, but I still think we should leave the final say to Naruto." Tenten said crossing her arms to show she wasn't budging on that point.

"She's right, Anko. Especially since Koi seems to have moved on." Yuffie said with great sorrow in her voice.

"Pfft. He hasn't moved on." Anko said disparagingly. "He keeps a picture of you two on him at all times, and nearly killed the Inuzuka mutt when he insulted you at the academy."

Yuffie had a shocked look on her face before she smiled as hope grew within her heart. With renewed determination she looked at Anko, and Tenten. "So now that I'm staying here how do I get ID papers?"

Tenten smiled at her while Anko laughed before standing up. "Come on. We need to talk to Hokage-sama, and then go shopping."

The three women went about showering, and getting ready for the next 45 minutes. When they were ready to go they walked out of the house smiling widely, and prepared to take on the whole world if necessary.

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Kiba had been extremely pissed off, and had opted to expend the energy, and anger he had at Inari's outburst by training in the forest, or more accurately destroying around an acre of forest. When it was close to 2 a.m. he was out of breath, and feeling drained from causing localized destruction, and had sat down under a tree with Akamaru which is why we find him in the situation of being sound asleep shortly after dawn as an ethereal beauty in a pale blue kimono with a floral print walking over to him.

The girl looked down at him for a moment before bending down, and shaking him awake with a hand on his shoulder. Kiba groaned, and tried to brush the hand away to no avail. Finally he opened his eyes as he stretched, and came to a dead stop in his actions as he saw the slim woman bent over him with her kimono open just enough for him to catch a glimpse of the top of her large B cup breasts.

"Good morning." She said with a smile as she stood back up, and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

'Holy shit she's beautiful!' Kiba thought as he stared at her until her words brought him out of his reverie. "Uh yeah. Good morning to you too."

He stood up brushing off his pants, and jacket to regain his composure. As he did this he blushed slightly when the girl giggled having caught him checking her out. With that done he coughed a few times before smiling at her.

"My name is Inuzuka Kiba, and this is my companion Akamaru." He said before bowing to her.

"I am Yuki Haku. Pleasure to meet you." She said returning his bow, and giving him another glimpse of her porcelain skin. "If I may…What were you doing sleeping out in the forest?"

Kiba snarled remembering the events from last night, and balled his fists before calming himself. "A little brat insulted a good friend of mine that died a few years ago, so I came out here to blow off some steam. It was either that or kill the little shit." He said through clenched teeth.

Haku watched him with a sympathetic expression as he spoke clearly seeing the emotional distress he was in from what happened. "I am sorry to hear that. It is always hard to lose someone close to you." As Haku spoke she was remembering her mother and how she was killed by her mother.

Kiba caught the tone she spoke with, and realized she had gone through a similar experience. "You lost someone too didn't you?" He asked giving her a look that could only be shared with someone who knew the same pain.

Haku closed her eyes, and nodded slowly as she relived the love of her mother and the pain of betrayal when she was killed by her father. "My mother was murdered when I was a child by my father." She said softly trying to get control of herself. For some reason her emotional walls were not as strong around this boy as they normally were. Her eyes shot open when she felt Kiba place his hands on her shoulders.

"Losing a member of the pack is a terrible thing. The members of my clan that become shinobi train for the sole purpose of protecting those we view as members of our pack, and see anyone that turns their back on an ally or betrays the village as the worst kind of being that must be hunted down and killed with the same ferocity as a rabid badger. The loss of your mother is a terrible thing, and what your father did is unforgivable. One thing you have to remember though is that it was not your fault. You must move on, and become stronger so that you can keep the loved ones you have left safe." Kiba said looking intently into her eyes with Akamaru barking in support of what he was saying.

Haku stared into Kiba's eyes caught off guard by the intensity of his gaze, and the diamond hard resolve within them. After a moment she smiled at him in a way that made him think she was an angel as she lifted her arm to place her hand on top of his. "You will truly become a strong shinobi. I believe that a person can only become truly strong when they are fighting to protect someone precious to them, and I can see that you fight for that very reason."

They stood like that for a few moments staring into each others' eyes with a smile on their lips until Kiba realized just how they might look if someone happened across them, and blushed. Kiba scratched the side of his jaw while offering an apologetic smile at her, while she blushed a light pink.

"So uh….What brings you here anyway?" Kiba asked trying to head off making the situation any more awkward.

Haku blinked at him having forgotten her task, and blushed even more. "I came out here looking for some herbs for a sick friend."

Kiba glanced down at Akamaru, who had yipped at him, and was looking up with what was unmistakably a grin. Seeing his companion's expression Kiba glared at him before smiling at Haku. "If you want I could give you a hand."

Haku smiled at him blatantly ignoring the dog making noises that sounded too close to laughter to be comfortable. "I would like that."

The two then spent over an hour gathering up the herbs she needed while passing the time with some light conversation. As Haku prepared to leave Kiba stopped her.

"I'm going to be in the area for a while, and I was wondering if we could meet again?"

Haku looked at him expressionlessly figuring that she may have to fight him later, but some part of her wanted to avoid that at any cost. She turned, and began walking away causing Kiba to slump his shoulders. After about 10 feet Haku stopped, and looked over her left shoulder at him.

"I gather herbs around dawn every day." She said softly before walking into the trees.

Kiba watched her go with a growing smile before he threw his fist in the air shouting loud enough for it to echo through the forest, and cause Haku to smile when she heard it.

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Kakashi went outside to tell Sakura breakfast was almost ready, and saw her gripping the railing overlooking the water with an expression of great turmoil on her face.

"Something bothering you, Sakura?" He asked as he moved up beside her.

"I've been thinking about what Naruto-san said last night. Those things couldn't have happened. Hokage-sama wouldn't have allowed it, and yet his emotions were real. I don't know what to think, Sensei."

Kakashi sighed deeply not wanting to deal with this especially during a mission. "When I was still in ANBU I was sometimes assigned to watch over Uzumaki-san. During those times I personally stopped 25 beatings, 7 assassinations, 27 break ins, 2 rapes, arrested 83 people, and executed 15 people. Strife-san and his brother have had harsh lives, and been through things I had hoped never to have seen since the war ended. To be perfectly honest I am surprised that Strife-san hasn't tried to destroy Konoha for what his brother was put through."

Looking down he saw Sakura staring at him with abject horror. "wh…Why? Why would they hate him so much?"

The jonin closed his visible eye, and slumped his shoulders as he put his hands in his pockets. "That is something I can't tell you. Sandaime-sama has classified that information as an S class secret punishable by immediate execution. Strife-san might tell you if you can gain his trust, but if not then you will have to ask Hokage-sama about it. They are the only ones I know of that are allowed to speak of it without punishment. I can tell you that it wasn't because of something he did, but because of a burden that was forced upon him against his will. I know this is hard to hear, Sakura, but you have to get over this. We are on a dangerous mission that we know will involve fighting, and if you can't get a hold of yourself either you or one of your teammates may end up dying. When the mission is over I will request a break from missions for our team as well as Kurenai's team. The information that you and Hinata have come across was never meant to be known, especially by ones as young as you two are. I'm going to assign you to guarding Tsunami and Inari at the house with Hinata since the treat level is much lower as Tazuna is the main target here. For now why don't you go inside, and talk with Hinata? I'll fill in the others so you don't have to worry about that."

Sakura was at a total loss hearing this, and didn't even know what to think so she just nodded, and numbly walked back inside. Kakashi brought his right hand up, and ran it through his hair letting out a deep breath praying to Kami-sama that he wouldn't have to deal with yet another teammate dying.

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Three weeks had passed since the Konohagakure ninja had arrived in Wave, and the emotional chaos seemed to have settled. Hinata had grown even more determined to grow stronger, and change Konoha into something Uzumaki Naruto would have been proud of, even to the point of taking up his dream to become Hokage.

Shino trained with her whenever they weren't on different guard rotations, and found himself drawn to the heiress. When he realized this he thought about it, and found that, yes he was physically attracted to her, but was that all it was? He also wondered if Hinata was feeling anything similar. He knew his clan was not looked well upon because of their close ties with the colonies, and decided to gather more information utilizing social interaction. It was small things like giving her a flower that he thought she would like to press, some sweet pastries from his trips into town, and spending time with her. So far the data was inconclusive as far as Hinata was concerned, but he had soon realized that he did like her as more than just a teammate or friend.

Sakura had talked with Hinata, and had found the heiress to be much more than a stuck up Hyuuga. She had also started to take her training more seriously when she wasn't fawning over the Sasuke, even going so far as to stop dieting.

Kiba had gone out every day before dawn to train, as he told his fellow ninja, but was really getting to know Haku. The two had spent a lot of time together talking, picking herbs, and other mundane things. The male Inuzuka heir had found himself quickly growing to like her, and was dreading when the mission would end.

Sasuke had demanded Kakashi teach him more jutsu, but the Cyclops had stated that until he had mastered tree climbing and water walking learning any new jutsu would be pointless. This of course caused the Uchiha to brood, and distance himself even more from those around him.

Kakashi had spent most of his time with the teams, and talking with Kurenai. As a military officer he hated the situation the two teams were in, and did what he could to get her out of her emotional quagmire. His success on that front had been mixed. It might not have been as bad if Kurenai wasn't so close to Anko, but they were almost sisters. That by itself was bad enough, but when you had in how Anko had suffered from Orochimaru, and how the villagers treated her it was just one large mess. Needless to say Kakashi wished he was back in Konoha reading his Icha Icha as Team 7 tried to catch Tora.

Naruto had calmed down some as he had plenty of time to think about what awaited him back in Konoha, and had taken his position of command just under the jonin very seriously. He had started drumming the other genin in security, stealth, observation, speed, and stamina in order to better prepare them for the inevitable attack Gato would send at them.

Kurenai spent more time out of the room Tsunami had given her, but could still be found most often staring off into space. She knew that she had to talk with Anko about her feelings for Naruto, but with the mission that was impossible, and as time went on she found herself wanting him more and more. This worried her greatly, afraid that she would do something that would not only ruin her friendship with the "Snake Mistress of Konoha", but also cause problems for Naruto with his other fiancé especially since Yuffie had shown up in Konoha.

This was the current situation Tazuna was thinking about as he wiped sweat from his forehead. Looking over the bridge he felt a sense of pride at how well things were going. He estimated that the bridge would be complete in another 2 weeks at most, and then Gato's strangle hold on the island would be weakened. Despite this he was worried about a few things he had overheard the ninja talking about. Things had been too quiet around the small village lately, and tension had grown to almost palatable levels. Glancing over to his current guards he noticed the pink haired girl giving first aid to one of the workers that had cut his hand. Turning to the left he saw the feral looking boy and his dog patrolling the length of the bridge. Turning his gaze further he saw the blonde boy standing on one of the pylons watching over the water. Taking a swig from his canteen he couldn't help but wonder how 8 ninjas were going to stop Gato if he decided to bring the brunt of his forces down on them. While Gato had numbers, money, and influence on his side Tazuna had seen some of the ninja training, and was awed and frightened at the destruction they could cause. Tazuna was an old man that had seen the horrors caused by ninjas going to war, so he knew that whatever happened would be ugly, and leave a lot of people dead. His only real worry was if his family and the people of the village would be alive when it was over.

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Over the weeks the progress on the bridge had been going at a steady pace. There were a few workers that quit because of fear, but no one could really blame them with what Gato had put them through, though most stayed seeing hope in the two squads of ninja that were guarding them. The bridge was now long enough that one of the workers could throw a stone to the mainland if they threw hard enough, and Tazuna estimated that the bridge would be complete within 3 days. Even though the villagers and Tazuna's family were in a jovial mood the ninjas were not. The Konoha ninja were on high alert knowing that an attack would happen at any time. The night before they had a meeting, and come to the conclusion that if Gato decided to attack the house while Tazuna was working on the bridge it would only be some of his mercenary forces and use any ninja he had hired on the bridge. After that they made plans to lay traps around the house, and have Kurenai cast multiple genjutsus on the traps as well as the house. She would also play bodyguard to Tsunami and Inari. The others would be on rotating patrols around the area, and guard the bridge in mass. As the genin rechecked their gear, and ate a ration bar Kakashi was surprisingly without his ever present orange book watching as the younger ninja readied themselves to make sure they didn't miss anything. When they were all ready, and Tazuna had said goodbye to his family Kakashi stood up, and signaled for everyone to move out.

"Alright, everyone, you know your assignments so let's get going. 5 minute check ins until the bridge then every 10 minutes. Guard team I want you in alpha-3 formation. Scout team take up delta-2 formation on a gamma-5 rotation. Keep radio silence unless reporting in. Move it!"

With that the teams moved out into the morning mist with Tazuna walking next to Kakashi.

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Haku stood in a tree watching the Demon Brothers knock out the civilians, than tie them up together by where some of the supplies were piled at. As she watched she thought about telling Zabuza about her meetings with Kiba, but decided against it and prayed that he would not be one of the ones on the bridge today. As soon as the brothers had finished their work Zabuza gave the signal to take their positions on the bridge, and used the **Kirigakure no jutsu** to hide the bridge.

Haku absently took out a senbon, and fiddled with it as she thought about the past few weeks, and her growing reluctance to finish this mission. A smile graced her lips behind her mask as she remembered sitting under a tree with Kiba, and how good it felt to do such a simple thing. Unknown to her over an hour had passed with her lost in her thoughts when she was dragged out of them by the sound of Kakashi's voice.

"Looks like Gato's hired Kiri nin to do his dirty work for him." Kakashi said giving hand signs for the others to take up battle formation.

A deep chuckling could be heard echoing from the mist though the source could not be seen. "Kakashi no Sharingan. A class shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato said to have copied over 1000 jutsus. Out of respect for a shinobi of your skill I will give you one chance to hand over Tazuna without a fight."

"I wish we could, but I have Konoha's reputation to think about. After all it wouldn't look good if we just gave up our client like that." Kakashi said loosening a kunai in its holster.

"I understand, but that still leaves us at a crossroads. As bad as it would look on Konoha it would look even worse if I didn't finish this mission since nukenin like me have to keep our reputations up even more than the villages do." Zabuza said as the mist thinned enough for the Konoha ninja to see the bound workers, and the enemy ninja.

Though it could not be seen Haku had a distraught look on her face, and her grip tightened on the senbon she had in her hand. Standing across from her was the boy she had been thinking so fondly of ready to fight for not only the life of his client, but his own as well. As her stomach clenched she knew she couldn't raise her hand to him, and prayed that he would survive this battle. She glanced at the others, and saw that despite the training the Konoha nin had gone through over the last few weeks that they still had a disadvantage in power despite their numbers. Sure the missing nin were outnumbered 5-4, but whereas there were 4 genin and one jonin each of the nukenin were at least mid-chunin with Zabuza on par if not better than Kakashi. As much as she wanted to stop this fight before it started she owed too much to Zabuza for saving her from the Kiri bloodline war. Feeling her hand start to shake she tightened her grip on the senbon, and steeled herself for what was going to happen.


End file.
